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Protest at Caulfield race trust behaviour
Paul Riordan
20May08
A cover-up has been denied by Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust over the handling of the trust's meeting minutes.
A COVER-UP has been denied by Caulfield Racecourse Reserve Trust's chairman Peter Le Grand over the handling of the trust's meeting minutes.
The incident is just the latest to plague Caulfield Racecourse's proposed $750 million redevelopment, which includes Crown land, in a process that has previously drawn criticism for delays and "apparent political interference" (Caulfield Glen Eira Leader, June 4, 2007).
Camden Ward councillor Helen Whiteside accused the trust at an April 29 meeting of voting down and voting to remove agenda items put by the council trustees.
One item "was moved, seconded, debated and then defeated. A division was called, and again the division lost," Cr Whiteside said.
"A motion was put and carried to remove the first two items from the agenda and not to record these items in the minutes. In short, none of the six items put forward by councillor trustees was accepted."
Mayor Steven Tang agreed with Cr Whiteside's account, saying the racecourse had a "long way to go to provide proper community access".
But trust chairman Peter Le Grand denied the trust's minutes had been doctored. He said the March 19 trust meeting minutes were not finalised, and that the councillors' motions had been defeated through proper channels.
"I will always follow meeting procedure," he said.
"I would never be party to a cover-up ... we have got nothing to hide. If you haven't got the majority, a motion won't be passed."
Cr Whiteside was using the issue of the racecourse as a platform for re-election and to "stir up trouble", he said.
Any activities in the reserve, comprised of Crown land, would have to fit in with racing, he said.
The trust has 15 members: six nominated by Melbourne Racing Club; three by Glen Eira Council (councillors Whiteside, Tang and Nick Staikos); and six by the State Government.
