Betsy is publishing its top ten power lists for both NSW and Victoria, detailing the key powerbrokers in racing and their key relationships.
Some on these lists will be household names – there are others that punters will have never heard of.
But they are all crucial players in an industry worth billions of dollars.
The list is not designed to highlight those in positions of power or roles that give them prominence, it’s created to have a look at those who actually have an impact, with the ability to shape crucial decisions on how racing in Australia is run, and crucially, how punters are treated as a result.
4. ANTHONY CARBINES
Racing must be a welcome distraction for Anthony Carbines.
He has one of the worst jobs anywhere in politics – he’s Victoria’s Police Minister – as well as being the Minister for Racing.
For those who live outside Victoria [or under a rock], the state is dealing with significant crime challenges [and that’s being polite].
From protests, youth crime and home invasions, Carbines must dread opening his phone each morning for the latest event. Even the brutal nature of racing politics must appear like a walk in the park.
Following Martin Pakula as Racing Minister was always going to be a tough gig [even his haters respected his racing pedigree].
Pakula at the end of the day was a punter first – he accepted invites to committee rooms but preferred to sit outside with a beer and actually watch the races having done his own form, rather than sip free champagne and gossip.
Carbines too enjoys the races and a beer, especially getting around the country tracks. He views racing’s footprint and contribution to country Victoria as crucial, but he is very much his own man.
Carbines prefers to avoid publicly weighing in on controversial topics and work behind the scenes. His critics in racing say he’s too invisible given some of the political instability the sport has faced.
It’s also difficult for Carbines to be too public in the racing space – imagine if he was pictured rightly attending a race meeting on a Group 1 day as Victoria dealt with another crime crisis?
Regardless, the nice guy approach Carbines may present shouldn’t fool anyone – he is hard working, ruthless and calculating. Shocking for a politician, I know!
He was widely criticised for taking too long to replace RV board members in 2024, insisting on waiting to see whether Gil McLachlan would become chairman.
But what choice did he have?
Gil was the obvious candidate.
Many have privately argued that given some of the political and operational issues RV has faced since, not to mention the leadership void the sport initially faced when former chairman Brian Kruger retired, it was the right call to wait.
McLachlan later declined the gig, taking the TAB job which actually pays a decent salary.
Carbines then chose RV board replacements wisely, ensuring the candidates were well respected but not too closely aligned with forces he feared might disrupt RV further.
But his greatest accomplishment in the eyes of RV [not so the punters of Victoria], was securing a lengthy and well-paid industry funding deal.
As the joint venture with TAB came to an end, RV needed a long-term funding arrangement.
The result was an increase in the point of consumption tax and a guaranteed amount of money for racing each year.
Rumour has it Carbines had to battle former treasurer Tim Pallas, [with the help of outgoing RV deputy chair Sharon McCrohan], to get the deal done.
Punters hated it, but RV were over the moon.
While the deal may have been slightly revised since, it showed the way Carbines operates – calculating and quiet, without the fanfare.
When it comes to racing’s battles, he’s known to offer quiet ‘words of wisdom’, according to one administrator, which could be seen as advice [or what the State Government would prefer played out].
Considered close to RV CEO Aaron Morrison, it will be interesting to see what other agenda items he may push forward.
Rightly or not, he is widely credited with making sure a motion to spill the RV board didn’t get up.
Did he make a last-minute call to racing club powerbrokers subtly suggesting some of the consequences of rolling the board? [The board is essentially appointed by the racing minister]. The numbers to spill the board were there just an hour or so before the vote.
Other questions we’d ask him if we had the chance – is he trying to change racing’s operational constitution to limit stakeholder interference at RV? Has he fielded complaints surrounding racing political operatives that eventually found there way to the Racing Integrity Commissioner? Does he think it’s appropriate for new Melbourne CEO Paul Guerra to sit on the RV board when the Demons want to do a deal with the Melbourne Racing Club for a parcel of land to set up a new training facility? Who will replace the talented McCrohan, who once knocked back the chance to be chairwoman, and has done a mountain of work to smooth any issues with the State Government? Will Carbines continue to keep an open mind on the future of Sandown even if the club has moved on? Who will win the Cox Plate?
We’d ask Carbines these questions himself, if he agreed to an interview.
He’s pleasant company, hard-working, barracks for Geelong [who said politicians weren’t likable] and will probably gain even more prominence in the State Government as they speed towards another re-election despite their struggles.
Any challenge from the Liberal opposition in the racing space is non-existent.
[In fact, the only real political challenge Carbines faces regarding his racing work is from the extremist parties who want racing extinct].
Carbines, whose responsibilities sit across all three racing codes, is believed to be looking closely at what happens to Harness Racing and their significant financial challenges. Some of those issues racing faces, so many will watch with interest.
While he may not have the racing profile many in the sport would like, that shouldn’t be mistaken for a reluctance to get involved. He’s more of a backroom dealer.
With an election in 2026, and the industry relying on the government’s goodwill for its financial security, the vision Carbines and his government have for racing is critical.
His position alone holds power and authority, even if many wish he would use it more often.
