The Victorian government announced it will amend the Racing Act to "create an independent board for Racing Victoria," according to the AAP. Minister for Racing Martin Pakula said that he intended to "introduce legislation next year to change the way board members are selected." It will ensure the RV board "is independent and diverse" while minimizing any conflict of interest. The government "is not proposing to create a racing commission or statutory authority and the selection model will not alter the nature of RV." RV is searching for a new CEO, with Bernard Saundry stepping down at the end of the month. Pakula: "Racing is an industry which employs tens of thousands of Victorians and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It’s vital that an industry of such importance has a modern and independent governance structure to match. It is no longer appropriate for the Board of Racing Victoria to be chosen by the people and organizations that it regulates" (AAP, 12/21). In Melbourne, Matt Stewart reported Victoria's "most successful racehorse owner," Lloyd Williams, said that the decision to scrap the state’s compromised racing governance model "has been a long time coming." Williams, a former Victoria Racing Club board member and five-time Melbourne Cup winner, said, "Others have tried and failed. (Former premier) Jeff Kennett was going to do it but got voted out. Conflicts of interest cannot exist in the governance of racing" (HERALD SUN, 12/20).
