Rosehill racecourse redevelopment: Voting begins on proposal to build mini-city
That intervention infuriated opponents of the sale, including Save Rosehill, which believed it would have easily won the vote.
Following the delay, the ATC presented a significantly updated proposal which included sweeteners such as free memberships and $1000 food and drink vouchers for members for five years. Those offerings were labelled an “inappropriate incentive” by opponents of the deal, but McGauran defended it as a “loyalty program”.
NSW MP Mark Latham arriving to vote on a proposal to sell Rosehill racecourse for a new housing development. Latham has been a vocal opponent of the plan.Credit: Edwina Pickles
The final plan outlined by the ATC envisioned a 15-year payment plan for taxpayers to outlay $1.9 billion within five years of a deal being struck. The government would pay the ATC “no less than” $100 million a year for a decade, with a potential $2.2 billion payment at the end of the 15-year agreement in 2041.
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The deal still needs to be signed off on by the government, but Minns has been a vocal backer of the proposal since it was first announced, and has defended the plan for taxpayers to fund the purchase despite initially saying it would cost the public “zero” on the basis that the government would “flip” the land to a private developer.
Among the ATC members at the vote were NSW MP Mark Latham, who is currently on a 12-month good behaviour bond after an outburst at Rosehill earlier this year. Latham is against the sale.
“It’s been an embarrassment to the reputation of racing the way it’s been mishandled,” he said.
Former NSW opposition leader Luke Foley was also present and said the meeting was “civil” but there were strong views from both sides as vote counting began after 3pm.
“The industry will survive this,” he said.
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