After a comprehensive national and international recruitment campaign Mr Shane Gillard has been appointed as the new Queensland Racing Integrity Commissioner.

An experienced leader specialising in regulation, governance, investigations, and safety, Mr Gillard has been appointed for three years to head the Commission.

Mr Gillard said it was an absolute honour to be appointed to such an important role at what is a critical time for the Commission and the Queensland racing industry.

“I am looking forward to working closely with the racing industry in Queensland to ensure public confidence in racing integrity and racing animal welfare,” he said.

The new Commissioner was most recently General Manager, Integrity, at Greyhound Racing Victoria where he established the Greyhound Racing Integrity Unit (GRIU) that ensured the strategic and operational development of integrity and professional standards across Greyhound Racing in Victoria.

He has also been a Director of Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL), which includes Human and Supplement Testing Australia (HASTA), since 2017 and is the current Chairperson of Australia’s leading bullying prevention charity, Bully Zero.

Mr Gillard said integrity and welfare have been at the forefront during his time in the Victorian racing industry.

“I have spent the past five years working with the Victorian racing industry and am very proud of the significant achievements in animal welfare and integrity over this period,” he said.

“Developing a modern risk-based regulatory framework has been a big part of the success in Victoria and I believe that all three codes in Queensland will benefit from a similar approach, striving towards a regulatory model that prioritises engagement, education and then enforcement.”

Prior to joining the racing industry Mr Gillard held senior roles for more than 10 years with WorkSafe Victoria where he was responsible for a broad range of portfolios including sport, recreation, and racing.

This also included work with various Ministerial advisory committees, both state and federal, and has been deeply involved in several regulatory review programs for agencies such the RSPCA Vic, VicRoads and of course WorkSafe Victoria.

“I’m very interested in the importance of racing integrity,” he said.

“Sport has always been a big part of my life, so this role as Racing Integrity Commissioner enables me to combine my passion both personally and professionally.”

Mr Gillard has more than 20 years in management and leadership positions across a range of sectors in continuing to pursue his passion for raising awareness of the far-reaching consequences of unsafe, criminal workplace practices.

He said he was keen to work with the sport to drive improved standards across safety, animal welfare and integrity with the concept of ‘one industry’ at front of mind.

“I have an extensive background in work health and safety, so for me that’s a non-negotiable. The safety of everyone within the industry is paramount and I intend to assist where I can to raise the bar.”

The appointment of a new Racing Integrity Commissioner comes almost a year after the resignation of the inaugural Commissioner, Ross Barnett APM on December 16, 2020. Former Deputy Commissioner Mark Ainsworth acted as Commissioner until his retirement in July this year and long-standing Commission Executive Paul Brown acted in the role until  December 2, 2021.