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Questions Without Notice Questions without notice are asked of Ministers and answered during Question Time.
Mr LAWLOR: My question is directed to the Minister for Public Works, Housing and Racing. Can the minister please advise the House what effect the National Party's proposed reforms to country racing would have on the Gold Coast Turf Club?
Mr SCHWARTEN: When I introduced a bill into this parliament to reform country racing, the National Party said that I had stolen its policies. The shadow minister actually wrote to the local Morning Bulletin about it. So it was some surprise when the National Party did not participate too much in the debate. The deputy leader and the leader did not even bother to speak. It is an even greater surprise to find that the country racing voice in state parliament is none other than the Leader of the Opposition, who could not be bothered to speak on the debate, and of course the hapless Mr Hopper.
I congratulate the National Party on these policies, because they are the only policies it has. It has none on health, none on education, none on housing and none on anything else. But it has half a dozen grab bags of policies here. What will affect country racing clubs is the idea that they should be indexed-the Toowoomba club is one of them-when in fact the TAB clubs will not be.
Over a period of time, country racing will increase to over 30 per cent of TAB turnover; at the same time, TAB turnover will be reduced to the TAB clubs. Those opposite think that is smart, but what it will ultimately do is kill the goose that lays the golden egg. It will reduce TAB participation, reduce TAB turnover and, as a result, reduce money to the bush. It is a bit like what the minister for natural resources said here this morning about the $30 for the rent. What they expect is one set of rules that will look after people in the bush and another set of rules for people like me who live in Rockhampton and the people who want to participate in racing on the north coast, the Gold Coast, Townsville, Mackay or Toowoomba.
Mr Hopper interjected.
Mr ACTING SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Darling Downs under standing order 253.
Mr SCHWARTEN: He would do well to learn that stupidity is best cloaked in silence.
This is a disastrous policy for country racing. I am going to get this postcard framed because it is the only policy that exists in the National Party. What does it represent? It represents a return to the past-to the days when country racing committees were the masters of their own destiny and went down the gurgler as a result. This is the way forward. For the first time ever, our policy enshrines a proper prize money objective for country racing, and that is why they do not like it. The reality is: that is why they do not like it. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 4:15 PM
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