Page 3100 - Week 09 - Thursday, 13 October 2022
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on a gas barbecue, you are not fans of wood fires, you are not fans of four-wheel drives and you do not like Ford Mustangs. We understand that the Greens hate the Australian flag. We understand that. We get that. But you know what? We quite like most of those things and we would like you to leave them the hell alone.
The Canberra Liberals stand alongside all those in the racing community and steadfastly support this line of spending. We would suggest that, as I have in a recent motion in this place, like virtually every other jurisdiction in Australia we should also attribute a portion of the point of consumption gaming tax back to the racing codes.
I have to refer to the ridiculous argument that Ms Clay brings up time and again. She insists that all this should be based on just the component of ACT racing. The fact of the matter is that New South Wales makes a fair bit of money on ACT racing. Queensland makes a fair bit of money on ACT racing. The Northern Territory makes a fair bit of money on ACT racing. The only way that you can genuinely assess this is to assess the total turnover on thoroughbred racing. You cannot break it down at a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction level. That would just be ludicrous. Should we be chasing Queensland for our share of the money that they have made on our races? It is ridiculous.
Let it be known that this community is absolutely galvanised. They know that if the Greens have their way there will be no thoroughbred racing. Ultimately, people in the equestrian community know that if the Greens have their way there would be no equestrian sport. There are a lot of things that would change if the Greens had their way. They know that there would certainly be no harness racing. They are not going to take it. We are in no way, shape or form supporting this amendment.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for Skills, Minister for Transport and City Services and Special Minister of State) (5.04): I rise to speak in support of the appropriation for Justice and Community Safety and against the amendment which has been moved by Ms Clay, and which Labor does not support.
One of the many undertakings in performing my ministerial duties in the portfolio is horseracing policy. In the ACT the racing industry comprises two clubs, the Canberra Racing Club, located at Thoroughbred Park, and the Canberra Harness Racing Club, located at EPIC.
Historically, the ACT government has provided funding certainty for the industry through a memorandum of understanding. At the 2020 election, ACT Labor promised to negotiate in good faith with the clubs for the establishment of a new memorandum of understanding. This decision was made with careful consideration of how a renewed MOU would help to better regulate and manage the industry going forward.
On 1 July 2022, we delivered on that commitment, when I signed a new MOU with the Canberra Racing Club and the Canberra Harness Racing Club. Under the MOU, the government agreed to provide funding every year to the racing clubs from July 2022 to 30 June 2027.
The funding estimates for the racing clubs from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2027 are as follows: $7.946 million for the first year; then it increases above that, out to 2027.
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