Reviewer to chair: McGrath steps into the main role as Queensland racing begins the reset he designed

Cover image courtesy of Racing Queensland

The Queensland Government has moved quickly to implement the findings of its landmark review into Racing Queensland - and in doing so, it has made one decision that may ultimately define how those reforms are judged.

It has appointed the author of the review itself, Matt McGrath, as chairman of the Racing Queensland board.

More than 100 recommendations flowed from McGrath’s review into the state’s three racing codes, with 79 accepted in full and a further 26 in principle under the government’s response, The Next Lap. The overhaul of the board is the first visible step in what has been framed as a long-overdue reset of governance, welfare, integrity and infrastructure.

But the move from independent reviewer to chair is not a conventional one. It shifts the distance between diagnosis and delivery - and places responsibility for both squarely with the same individual.

How that is seen long-term will depend entirely on the success of the rollout.

From reviewer to Chair

McGrath’s appointment was confirmed on March 13, alongside five new board members, after amendments to the Racing Act announced the previous day. Those changes, following the recommendations, introduced a country racing representative, an integrity specialist and greater flexibility in how the board is constructed.

In many governance settings, the reviewer writes the blueprint and steps away from implementation. Here, the reviewer will now be responsible for building it.

McGrath had flagged the possibility. When the government handed down its response in December, he said he would consider a board role if asked, while “categorically” ruling out any executive position. The chairmanship, while technically non-executive, sits at the centre of decision-making - particularly in a statutory body where appointments are made by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister.

McGrath acknowledged that his appointment has prompted questions.

“The role of Chair is a privilege to be appointed to, and whilst (I am) conscious that I am from New South Wales - and that has been asked since the appointment - my time across the review… provided me a good understanding of the industry,” he said. “Our success at RQ will be measured through many KPIs and we will be both visible and accessible throughout our tenures.”

While the structure of the appointment is unusual, McGrath’s background is grounded in deep relevant, industry experience.

He chaired the Australian Turf Club between 2018 and 2022, a period that required navigating metropolitan racing through COVID disruption, commercial pressures and shifting stakeholder expectations. Before that, he built a long career in retail, managing a wide network of Telstra shops - experience he has consistently framed as relevant to large, decentralised organisations.

He also sits on the board of the Cronulla Sharks, giving him exposure to another high-profile sporting code operating within a centralised governance structure.

There is a pattern in that resume: organisations that sit somewhere between commercial enterprise and public institution, where governance, stakeholder management, and political awareness intersect.

Full government support

The government has backed the appointment unequivocally.

“Matt McGrath led the most comprehensive review of the Queensland racing industry in more than 25 years and has extensive board experience in both racing and sport,” a spokesperson for the Minister for Sport and Racing said.

“The former Labor government had no plan for racing, but the Crisafulli Government is delivering fit for purpose infrastructure, making country racing stronger, providing more efficient governance and enhancing animal welfare and integrity.”

Racing Queensland, too, publicly welcomed the reset.

“Racing Queensland welcomes the Crisafulli Government’s appointment of six new members to its board, led by Chairman Matt McGrath,” a spokesperson said.

McGrath will be joined by Gary Cunningham of Cunningham Thoroughbreds, Michelle Morton, Sally Branson, the Honourable Jane Prentice, and Kym Daly - who worked alongside him on the review. Existing board members Graham Quirk, Jodie Jones and Gary Heath will remain as code representatives, while acting chair Jane Seawright departs.

Review born from instability

The review itself did not emerge in a vacuum.

It was commissioned in early 2025 at a time when Racing Queensland was dealing with leadership turnover and broader questions around structure and direction. CEO Jason Scott resigned in January, followed soon after by Peter Gleeson’s departure from the Queensland Greyhound Racing Club.

It also followed the 2023 review into the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, a process that was never made public, with commissioner Shane Gillard resigning in mid-2024.

By the time McGrath and his team, including Daly and communications specialist Lynette Keep, began their work, the brief was clear: take a full look at the system and provide a path forward.

Minister for Sport and Racing and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tim Mander called it “the most comprehensive review across all three codes to be carried out in Queensland”.

They delivered 110 recommendations and most were accepted.

Seventy-nine in full, 26 in principle, with five rejected - among them the proposed reduction of the point of consumption tax from 20% to 15%. Queensland remains one of the highest-taxed wagering jurisdictions in the country, although 80% of that revenue is returned to racing.

The accepted recommendations span governance reform, minimum standards for clubs, workforce support, integrity measures and aftercare. There is also a broader push, already supported by the government, for Racing Queensland to have a stronger voice within Racing Australia, including the removal of veto rights currently held by New South Wales and Victoria.

That national angle may ultimately prove one of the more consequential elements of the review, even if it sits outside Queensland’s direct control.

For now, the focus is on implementation.

An implementation plan, led by former Brisbane Turf Club chair Mary Collier, is expected to be delivered to the Minister next month, with a 12-month window targeted for rolling out the remaining reforms.

McGrath has framed his transition into the chair role as an advantage rather than a conflict.

“My time as reviewer commenced in March 2025 and I was provided the independence and support where required to work across the entire state of Queensland,” he said.

“I was fortunate to have three very capable code leads plus an admin support team to pull the review together.”

He pointed to the scale of that work - including visits to 72 clubs and extensive stakeholder consultation - as giving him a detailed understanding of the industry he now oversees.

He also leaned on his broader career.

“This is the most important role of my career, and those other roles I have performed with some incredibly talented people and teams has helped me to this point.

“I have a strong belief that racing performs at its optimum when the principal racing authority and the clubs are working well together with a clear vision. You see this with the best racing jurisdictions in the world, and I believe, during my time with the ATC, that we had a good and progressive relationship with Racing NSW.”

Reduction of implementation friction

There is a strong logic to the government’s approach.

If the review is to be implemented quickly, placing its author at the head of the organisation removes friction. It also reduces knowledge gaps - McGrath knows a lot about each implementation he needs to enact, and likely, has had a very strong idea of how to do it.

If the reforms fall short, there is no buffer between the blueprint and the outcome. But if they succeed, the model becomes a powerful precedent - not just for Queensland, but for how racing jurisdictions approach structural reform more broadly.

For now, the reset has begun. The harder part - delivering it - now sits with the same person who designed it.

“Our success will be measured on how we grow the industry,” McGrath said. “I have always relied on these five pillars of racing; social enjoyment, financial performance, welfare of racing animals and participants, wagering, and ownership.

“How we develop these and ensure a sustainable future is how the RQ board will work.”