OPPOSITION claims Stewart a ‘shoe-in’ after making controversial short-list

STATE Parliament has been told that a ‘flawed selection process’ has enabled ‘a long-time compatriot of Queensland Racing Board chairman Bob Bentley’ to emerge as a ‘shoe-in’ for election to the racing control body.

Opposition Racing Spokesman, Ray Stevens, told Parliament that former Toowoomba Turf Club chairman, Neville Stewart, was certain to join the Board under a controversial short-listing carried out by a recruitment company ‘that was supposed to be independent.’

Stevens asked Racing Minister Peter Lawlor if he was prepared to see ‘the whole industry brought into disrepute over the process that has been followed by the current Board.’

“They (the Board) went out to a supposedly independent recruiting agencly, called the Northern Recruitment Agency,” Mr Stevens told Parliament.

“This was done at the current Queensland Racing Board’s request. Four people were selected for the industry to vote for.

“Northern Recruitment states on its website – ‘we go forth into the marketplace singularly on their – that is, on the client’s - behalf.’

“In other words, they are indicating that they will get a determined result for whoever hires them. In this case the chairman and the QR Board hired these people,” Mr Stevens said.

“One of the people who has been on the Board for four years is respected solicitor, Mr Bill Andrews, who applied to be on that shortlist. Guess what? He did not make the short-list.

“He did not have enough experience to get on the Board after he had been on there for four years. It is an absolute indictment on a great person in Queensland racing that he did not make the shortlist.”

Mr Stevens posed the question to State Parliament: “Who did make the short list?”

“We have one Neville Stewart, a long-time friend of Bob Bentley from the breeding industry. He is a long-time compatriot going back to the QPC (Queensland Principal Club) days.

"Surprise, surprise! Neville, while still being the chairman of the Toowoomba Turf Club, who agreed with Mr Bentley’s proposal to put in a new track to replace the grass track at Toowoomba, is on that particular short-list to be selected by other groups.

“It will be a money-back, odds-on, but worse-case scenario that the quinella for the electedrepresentatives will be Mr Wayne Milner, who no-one is arguing about, and Neville Stewart. That is the quinella that will be elected in terms of Mr Bentley’s direction.

“I ask the Minister if he is prepared to see the whole industry brought into disrepute over the process that has been followed by the current Board?”