Queensland Racing Review 2025

The Queensland Government is committed to strengthening the state’s racing industry, ensuring the long-term viability of all three codes - thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound - while maintaining high animal welfare standards.

In 2025, we initiated the most substantial review of Queensland's racing sector in over 25 years. This independent review identified and recommended the necessary actions to ensure the financial sustainability and long-term health of the industry.

About the Review

The Queensland Racing Review focused on:

Industry sustainability: Strengthening the economic, social, and regional benefits of racing
Integrity and welfare: Ensuring racing continues to uphold the highest standards
Governance: Identifying opportunities for improved oversight, structure, and operations.

The review was guided by a Steering Committee comprising representatives from across the racing industry, community stakeholders, and government. The Committee oversaw the process to ensure the recommendations were practical, evidence-based, and reflective of stakeholder input.

Steering Committee

The review was guided by a Steering Committee, with Matthew McGrath as the Independent Committee Chair of the Queensland Racing Review. Mr McGrath is an experienced businessman, former Chairman of the Australian Turf Club, and a current board member of the Cronulla Sharks.

Three Queenslanders with specialised knowledge in each racing code were members of the Steering Committee to assist Matthew McGrath, including:

Scott Neaves - a barrister with experience in both the Harness code and racing litigation. He had previously been President of the Marburg Pacing Association, as well as a member of the Harness Advisory Panel.
Kym Daly has significant experience in Thoroughbred racing, delivering integrity services, training and consulting internationally. Mr Daly has stood down from his role as a steward with the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC) to take on the role.
Lynette Keep is a media and communications specialist with a strong background in all three racing codes. She holds a current Class 3 Greyhound trainer’s licence.

Key references

Queensland Racing Review Recommendation Report – Independent review into the three codes of racing in Queensland
Terms of Reference - Outlines the purpose, scope and governance of the review.
Discussion Paper - Original document released for stakeholder consultation.

The Next Lap

The Next Lap is the Queensland Government’s response to the Queensland Racing Review Recommendation Report. It sets a clear course of action for industry, government and the broader community, and outlines next steps and how each segment of Queensland racing must work together to turn commitments into a reality.

More information

For more information, contact RacingReviewImplementation@racingqueensland.com.au.

Last updated: 09 Oct 2025