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Other Parliamentary SpeechesThis page is dedicated to Peter's speeches during parliament that do not fall under Questions or Questions without notice. They range from debating legislation, reporting on events or issues in his seat of Southport and his Ministerial Statements.
Racing Amendment Bill |
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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Mar 08 2005 |
| Other Speeches >> |
Mr LAWLOR (Southport-ALP) (5.40 pm): The thoroughbred racing industry is going through an interesting transformation that started several years ago and which is designed to bring the industry into the 21st century. It has been a common criticism that many clubs and attitudes were stuck in the 1950s. As a member of the board of one of the more successful and progressive clubs, the Gold Coast Turf Club, I can say that some of the decisions made by Queensland Racing were not popular. Nevertheless, tough decisions have had to be made and the Queensland Racing Board, led by Bob Bentley, has presided over reform that has resulted in the greatest increase in TAB wagering turnover in Australia. Additionally, prize money has increased by $18 million per annum- a dividend from those tough decisions.
The Racing Act 2002 established five regional racing associations with members elected by clubs in the association and also people elected by trainers, jockeys and bookmakers. However, the non-TAB racing sector has sought more influence in directing reform and sharing in the outcomes. At the moment the Queensland Regional Racing Council provides recommendations to the Queensland Racing Board in relation to non-TAB racing. However, non-TAB clubs desire a stronger voice and this bill will address the concerns of non-TAB race clubs and participants in regional and country Queensland.
As the minister said, this bill will ensure that all non-TAB race clubs are able to advocate on country racing issues without having to compete with TAB clubs' interests. There are five main reforms proposed by this bill, mainly relating to the structure and representation on country racing associations. Probably the most important reform is the requirement of the Queensland Thoroughbred Racing Board to allocate at least seven per cent of the net UNiTAB product fee to the committee as prize money for non-TAB race meetings. The new committee will also have a hand in the allocation of race dates subject, of course, to the approval of Queensland Racing. Therefore, the committee will have as much autonomy and responsibility as allowed by the Australian Rules of Racing. The seven per cent share of the product fee will be approximately $6 million and that will allow country and regional racing to share in the revival and success of Queensland racing.
The shadow minister conveniently avoided the comparison that was made by the minister. People are always comparing Queensland prize money with the prize money available in both New South Wales and Victoria. But in non-TAB racing Victoria distributes $924,000 in prize money; New South Wales distributes $3.92 million; and South Australia distributes a measly and miserly $271,581. So Queensland, with the $6 million that it is distributing, compares more than favourably with the prize money distributed in both Victoria and New South Wales. This bill is further evidence of the government's commitment to and support of Queensland thoroughbred racing. I commend the bill to the House. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 11:00 PM
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