Page 2449 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 9 August 2016
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admonished you. It was very embarrassing for everybody involved, and the clubs were furious because, again, certainty had been denied.
Mr Barr basically said at that stage, “Look, if there’s a bipartisan or tripartisan committee that can find a way forward, then I’ll support it.” He said that, probably with the view that there was no way there would be an outcome. But we did find a way forward, and I commend the members of the public accounts committee for coming up with a good report that provided a path for the future for our community clubs, with a whole series of recommendations. Mr Barr then broke his promise.
Mr Barr said very clearly that if there was a bipartisan or tripartisan way forward on this he would support it. What happened? That exact thing happened—a unanimous report came from the committee, and Mr Barr and his government rejected the bulk of those recommendations. So little wonder that the community clubs are angry and that they no longer trust this government. They have been lied to. The community clubs were told one thing. They acted in good faith; they trusted Mr Barr, and then he reversed his position and destroyed all of the good will by going back on his word. For the community clubs, as it has been for many others in this community, it was the final straw where they felt, understandably, they could no longer trust this government. (Second speaking period taken.)
There are obviously issues in gaming and racing beyond community clubs. We worked closely over this term with the racing industry, which provides a significant contribution to the Canberra community. One aspect I would like to turn to is the greyhound industry. A report came out of New South Wales, and no-one would deny there are some very disturbing aspects in that report. I think we are all united in a view that we want to make sure that animal welfare, in this case that of greyhounds, is at the forefront.
A decision in New South Wales was made, and then I think on Facebook, within an hour, Mr Barr said, “Well, we’re shutting down the industry in the ACT.” There is a backlash in New South Wales; the Labor Party in New South Wales opposes this decision, as I understand do the Nationals. There is a current debate to say, “Look, let’s extend it for three years to see if the industry”, a good operating industry, “can clean itself up where there have been problems and see whether we can get the best of both worlds,” without shutting it down.
That is an ongoing debate, and we have said that, rather than rushing to simply mimic the decision in New South Wales—whilst accepting that the impact of the New South Wales industry on our local industry is obviously significant and the two are, in part, intertwined—we want to have a look at this. It is about good government decision-making. Before I decided to Facebook something or tweet out a decision I had made based on one made in another jurisdiction, I would want to sit down with the industry and have a good, close look at the issues within our industry to determine whether it can be a viable and safe industry. I would make a decision based on evidence and the facts about what is happening in the ACT. That is what we will do for that industry.
This is yet again another industry, another area, another sector, where this government has let people down significantly. On the one hand, Labor Party politicians and
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