THERE appears to be one major flaw in the LNP Government plan to revamp the racing industry in Queensland and it won’t please those calling for representation from the country.

With the merged Board dead and buried, the three codes will appoint independent control bodies responsible for the day-to-day running of gallops, greyhounds and harness racing.

But there will be an umbrella body that will oversee what the code control bodies do. It will replace Racing Queensland Limited and will be known as the Queensland All Codes Racing Industry Board.

This five person all powerful body will be made up of the Chairman of the three control Boards and two members to be appointed on the recommendation of the Racing Minister after a recruitment company creates a short list of industry-nominated persons.

Who are the industry stakeholders and racing bodies that will nominate candidates for the short-list and will the country have as much say as the city in this selection process?

Who will the recruitment company be appointed by (the Interim Board or the Government) and how independent will the industry see that process when that company has the final say?

Will the industry be consulted by the Racing Minister and permitted to veto the two choices that he makes if they believe the right people for the job have not been selected by the recruitment company from the short list.

Why not let the industry vote fairly on the two remaining members of the Board? Ministerial appointments smack of political interference or influence.

The great white knight of the racing industry in Kevin Dixon will be odds-on to secure one of these positions but he better be careful as odds-on favorites have a shocking record in Queensland. That leaves only one position for the country voice and if the voting system is stacked against them the pre-election promise will be broken.

There are also major industry concerns, shared by this website, about the restructure of Integrity and the Appeals Board. Early reports smack of political interference in the process.

Whilst there is an urgent need to have a separation of powers for the Integrity Department – in other words removal from under the umbrella of the existing RQL or new QACRIB – there is equally the need for it to be totally independent of Government even if it becomes an arm of the Racing Department.

There are fears that the dismantling of the current First Level Appeals Body will simply enable the powers-that-be to remove those seen to have been supporters of the Bentley Board or the Labor Government.

If two of those on the current FLAB are retained all hell will break loose within the industry. The only way a new Racing Disciplinary Board can be fairly appointed is for those currently serving on FLAB to be ineligible. There are plenty of former judges and top lawyers with racing experience who would be industry acceptable for the new RDB.

There are calls for independence in the appointment process of the Racing Disciplinary Board and the Racing Integrity Commission and for the Government or the Interim Board to disqualify themselves from this process.

The Racing Integrity Commissioner role needs to be advertised nationally and internationally and an independent interstate recruitment company with no ties to racing in Queensland set up to make the appointment.

That is what should happen if those calling the shots won’t to distance themselves from the way the Bentley Board operated. But as the saying goes: 'Pigs might fly!'