NSW Premier Chris Minns has used to describe a reported vote to refer him to the state’s corruption watchdog as disgraceful and cynical.
An inquiry into the pitch to sell the Australian Turf Club’s Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney’s west and turn it into tens of thousands of homes will deliver its report on Friday.
But late on Wednesday, Minns responded to media reports the committee conducting the inquiry will call for him to be referred to the Independent Commission Against Corruption, describing it as allegations based on no fact or evidence.
“It’s disgraceful to politicise the ICAC with unsubstantiated rumours,” Minns said.
“This is an old-fashioned smear from a group of politicians opposed to changes at Rosehill.”
The unsubstantiated allegations were a cynical attempt at political point scoring, Minns said.
Independent MP Mark Latham, a member of the committee, and of the turf club, claimed via social media on Thursday there was evidence to justify the ICAC referral, based on a meeting Minns had in October 2023.
In August, Minns described the turf club’s head of membership and corporate affairs Steve McMahon as a friend of more than 20 years. It followed McMahon’s appearance at the committee inquiry earlier that month.
The committee was told McMahon pitched the idea to the turf club’s chairman Peter McGauran on October 26, 2023.
Minns had a “meet and greet” with the turf club four days later, according to ministerial diaries.
McMahon told the inquiry the meeting was to discuss the idea and the process for pitching it to the government, before investing member resources in a proposal.
“You want to make sure that [the government] are not going to be automatically opposed to such a thing,” he said.
Minns told budget estimates in August the proposal was announced before turf club members voted on the sale in the interest of transparency.
-AAP
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