What do you want Karting to look like? Karting Australia What do you want Karting to look like?

Enough is enough It doesn’t matter what side of the fence you are on. We are getting no-where. It is time to put an end to this. The correct process is to do this through our Clubs to our State Karting Council to Karting Australia. For this to be successful, it will need to be unanimous from all SKCs Put rumours behind and look at the past 3 years and ask yourself is this what I want for the next 3 years?

Before you answer yourself – have a look at this. Read – kart book, facebook. Sure there are a lot of ‘rumours and untruths’ but there is also a lot of comments from genuine people that really care about karting and do not have a problem voicing an opinion. One example: It's not about a few hundred people racing in championships or 2 or 3 that might travel to Europe or become successful in some other lower form of motorsport. It's about the thousands of people that turn up to their local club, built with volunteer labour and intensive fundraising to build a facility that they can enjoy.

Figures from Karting Australia Management System (CM:S) shows approx Figures from Karting Australia Management System (CM:S) shows approx. 26% loss in the 1st quarter of 2016 compared to 2015. 2015 Annual Report shows a drop of near 5000 entries compared to 2014. Licence numbers are down Costs of karting have increased dramatically There is no transparency with anything done by the current Board of Karting Australia Recent AGM was a farce. The list goes on……

A FEW slides from THE AKA COOGEE MEETING - presentation

A FRESH NEW APPROACH IS REQUIRED…….. An approach that will Provide modern professional management. Allow and encourage the average karter’s involvement in the running of his sport. In fact a brand new……… CORPORATE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE.

A PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT BOARD ? A board of people who; ARE CHOSEN FOR THEIR PROVEN INDIVIDUAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS. ARE RESULT FOCUSED. ARE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE TO ALL KARTERS. NOT NECESSARRY ALIGNED TO STATE OR CLUB RESPONSIBILITIES.

HOW WILL “KARTERS” BE INVOLVED ? BY ALLOWING A VOTE BY EACH INDIVIDUAL KARTER FOR THE SELECTION OF THE “BOARD” MEMBERS. BY ENSURING BOARD MEMBERS ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO ALL KARTERS.

Some of this sounds familiar - And some of it way off base? This was written by the governance working party that setup the Board, This was the structure that the States voted on to move to a Board of Directors.   Looks like KA simplified it by removing all the highlighted yellow bits and the sub committees ………..

Moving forward It isn’t a bad proposal – it is just a shame that the current Board did not take on all of it. So now ask yourself what would you like to see in a new Board? Imagine a Board with a Communication Strategy. One that actually listened to Karters comments, suggestions and feedback A Board that is open and transparent – tender results, testing results, licence and participant rate figures on a month basis. Fair and Honest. A Board that worked with States to get grassroot Karting growing!

This isn’t an impossible dream! We the Karters and those that care about the sport need our Clubs to email a letter requesting an urgent General meeting of Karting Australia All SKCs have the power to vote out all of the Directors of the Current KA Board Employ an Independent Agency for a few months whilst nominations are called for and a new date set for a new AGM. We need to instruct our SKCs what we the karters through our clubs want and need. Not what Karting Australia think we need.

The longer you leave it the more damage is being caused. We need to ACT now The longer you leave it the more damage is being caused. Contracts are constantly being signed for longer timeframes which will make it more difficult to undo the damage. Remove the Board, based on its contempt of the average karter; Abolish the Executive Commissioners; Rescind the Board decision to renew Kelvin O’Reilly; Install an External Agency whilst nominations are called and AGM finalised; Appoint committees from state nominees as the constitution is designed; Committees with their Director, audit what KA have done, including O’Reilly; For the time being, suspend the MOU and tell the States that anything other than National Events, they write the rules for.  

WE NEED TO ACT NOW Karters please make sure your Clubs write to SKC by end of June to ensure that all STATE KARTING COUNCILS call a special meeting with KA by mid July 2016 State Presidents need to be reminded they are State Officials and not KA officials. We can do this.