Page 4500 - Week 14 - Thursday, 1 December 1994
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The reason why this legislation has been prepared and brought forward now is principally to ensure that ACTTAB is able to continue with pool arrangements between the cessation of sittings of this Assembly and the commencement of sittings of the next Assembly. Ms Szuty, I commend the legislation as it stands and seek your concurrence to protect the interests of all of the racing industry and reject the amendments of Mr De Domenico, when he sees fit to move them.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail Stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole
MR DE DOMENICO (6.18), by leave: Madam Speaker, I move:
Page 2, line 7, after clause 4, insert the following clause:
Monthly payments to declared clubs
"4A. Section 33 of the Principal Act is amended by omitting from subsection (1) "an amount equal to the percentage" and substituting "3.5% or such other higher percentage".".
Page 2, lines 8 to 15, clause 5, omit the clause.
Page 2, line 20, clause 6, paragraph (a), omit "; and".
Page 2, lines 21 and 22, clause 6, paragraph (b), omit the paragraph.
The essence of my amendments is quite simple. They seek to ensure that all the racing bodies continue to receive the same percentages as they are receiving now. That means, quite simply, that, if the Government wishes to give more back to the punter, then the percentages must remain the same. I note that, as well as the 6 per cent from the TAB turnover, the Government has the turnover from telephone bookmaking betting and the turnover from the betting auditorium. It should have plenty of money to continue to link with the Victorian TAB and, at the same time, make sure that the current percentages being returned to the racing, trotting and greyhound bodies remain the same.
Why is it so important, especially today, Madam Speaker, to protect the interests of the three bodies? If Mr Moore and Ms Szuty had read the Auditor-General's report which was tabled today, they would realise why it is so important that the three racing bodies be protected as much as this Assembly can protect them. Let me read from today's Auditor-General's report on the Australian Capital Territory Totalisator Administration Board. Under the heading "Significant finding", at page 63 of the Auditor-General's report, he says:
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