Racing Queensland has moved to quell unrest following the resignation of two representatives from an industry board.
Barry Taylor and Brad Steele have both resigned from the Queensland All Codes Racing Industry Board which oversees the three racing codes in Queensland.
The resignations could not have come at a worse time with racing officials in negotiations for new wagering rights in Queensland.
The QACRIB has representatives from the three codes and sits above the three other boards which govern racing, harness racing and greyhounds.
There has been behind-the-scenes friction between Taylor, a Townsville solicitor and the QACRIB deputy chairman, and Kevin Dixon, the QACRIB chairman and also chairman of the racing board.
Steele who was on the QACRIB and chairman of the harness board, resigned from both yesterday.
An extraordinary meeting was held at Eagle Farm on Tuesday night.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Michael Byrne, chairman of the greyhound racing board and a member of the QACRIB, reaffirmed support for Dixon.
“The chairmen, boards and Racing Queensland executive have our full backing to pursue their current direction, which is to build a strong foundation for the future of racing in Queensland,” he said.
“The Boards have delivered at all levels required and have already delivered positive results for all codes in our first year of operation.”
Racing Queensland chief executive Darren Condon said the organisation had made significant progress since the board was elected in May 2013.
