Page 1043 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 17 March 2010

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That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) that, as a consequence of proposed funding changes, the racing industry in the ACT faces:

(i) having five fewer race meetings per annum and/or a reduction in prize money per race;

(ii) reducing full-time equivalent jobs by 85;

(iii) having 400 fewer people who will be wholly or partly dependent on Canberra Racing Club for employment;

(iv) a decrease in the number of trainers operating from and horses trained at Thoroughbred Park;

(v) a decline in revenues generated by the racing industry;

(vi) a weakened local racing industry;

(b) with concern that the minister has only met formally on one occasion with the ACT racing industry since becoming minister in November 2008; and

(c) that the minister, when introducing the Racing Amendment Bill 2009, stated that the revenue generated by the scheme will belong to the clubs, but that the minister failed to tell the Parliament that funding for the ACT’s racing industry would be reduced by an equivalent amount;

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the changes that have taken place and which are continuing within the racing industry; and

(b) the changes that are taking place with the manner in which people choose to bet; and

(3) calls on:

(a) the ACT government to negotiate with the racing industry an agreement and a time frame for delivery on a funding formula for the ACT racing industry; and

(b) the minister to devise a long term strategy to facilitate the development of the racing industry in the ACT and for this strategy to be tabled by the last sitting day in 2010.

It is extremely disappointing that one has to move this motion this evening simply because, if the government had been more open in their negotiations with the racing industry and the minister had been more clear on what he intended to do when he

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