Barilaro contacted Peponis and gaming industry figures this week in the aftermath of the,who linked Premier Dominic Perrottet’s Catholic faith to the cashless gaming crackdown.
John Barilaro made a bid to become the new boss of ClubsNSW this week.Kate Geraghty
TheHerald has confirmed figures approached by Barilaro told him he was not the right person for the high-profile position representing the state’s gambling industry,which is staring down its biggest reform in more than six decades.
Barilaro’s pitch to the troubled sector comes less than eight months after he was forced to withdraw from a lucrative New York trade role over concerns about his appointment,which triggered multiple inquiries and intense media scrutiny.
The findings of an upper house inquiry into his controversial recruitment are due to be handed down on Monday.
Barilaro did not respond on Thursday when asked about his interest in filling the role vacated by Landis.
ClubsNSW has been without a permanent chief executive since Tuesday,when the board announced Landis’ employment as one of the state’s most high-profile lobbyists.
It followed comments about Perrottet’s pursuit of cashless gaming cards,which he said was motivated by the premier’s “conservative Catholic gut” rather than evidence. The comments garnered condemnation from across the political divide,and in less than 24 hours Landis was sacked from the role he held since 2020.
Multiple industry sources,who spoke to theHerald on condition of anonymity,said they did not believe Barilaro would be a contender for the role. Instead,they said ClubsNSW was in dire need of a new leader who was independent of the organisation and government.
“We don’t need a politician. It actually needs to be someone who is an ambassador,a statesman,” one senior industry figure said. “Because we’ve been through turmoil. This shouldn’t be about politics or political sides. It should be about people.”
Industry sources say the ClubsNSW CEO salary would be about $350,000 to $400,000.
While ClubsNSW is expected to use a third-party recruiter in its search for a new chief executive officer,several other potential candidates have been mentioned in government and industry circles this week as potential candidates,including Mark Condi,the former chief executive of the massive Bankstown Sports club.
Condi,who resigned from the Bankstown club last August after a decade as chief executive,began work at the club in 1992 picking up glasses and ashtrays,and later as a car park attendant. During the pandemic,Condi helped transform the club – the second-biggest in Australia – into a temporary COVID-19 vaccine hub.
“I’m passionate about the industry. I do think industry does need to change and work with government in coming up with solutions that work with both the clubs and the community,” Condi told theHerald.
ClubsNSW CEO Josh Landis leaves NSW Parliament House after meeting with Premier Dominic Perrottet last year.Dominic Lorrimer
“It will take the right person to be able to bring the club industry on board.”
Also being discussed is the former boss of peak body Restaurant and Catering Australia Wes Lambert.
Lambert was a key advocate for the hospitality sector as it endured during rolling lockdowns through the COVID-19 pandemic,working closely with the government and lobbying for the swift reopening of the economy and extended support measures for ailing businesses.
In the days since Landis’ sacking,anxious industry leaders say they are increasingly fearful of the premier’s dogged pursuit of mandatory cashless gaming,over concerns it could slash the industry’s revenue.
However,many of Sydney’s largest clubs also believe the sacking of their chief lobbyist presents an opportunity for a major overhaul of the peak body group and a reset of the organisation’s strategy for managing the proposed reform.
While there are more than 1100 registered clubs across NSW,the appointment of a new chief executive will fall to six people on the ClubsNSW board,led by Peponis. They include Sallianne Faulkner,Paul Barnett,Christina Curry,Ron Coskerie and Rob Smith.
Another senior industry figure,who spoke on condition of anonymity,urged the board to conduct a broad market recruitment to find someone “neutral” who could work equally with government and industry.
“I don’t think it should be anyone tied to either side. It needs to be someone who can work progressively with both sides of politics and independents,” they said. “Clubs need somebody fresh.”
While NSW Labor has made an election commitment to conduct a mandatory cashless gaming trial of 500 machines,among other measures,the premier is expected to release his long-promised policy for mandatory cashless gaming in early February.
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns on Thursday said the future leadership of ClubsNSW and its approach to public policy issues was a matter for the organisation. He added that he was open to amending Labor’s pokies policy.
“We want to make sure that any reform or policy change that we make,in fact,works.”
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