Page 4508 - Week 14 - Thursday, 1 December 1994
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Mr De Domenico: Is it still coming into the government coffers from the betting auditorium? Where is the money going to?
MR LAMONT: Mr De Domenico, you have once again demonstrated your ignorance. Into the TAB?
Mr De Domenico: No; the government coffers.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order!
MR LAMONT: Mr De Domenico, once again, you are trying to confuse a range of issues. I would suggest that, in your position, I would attempt to do so, too. Your arguments are shown to be flawed; these amendments are shown to be a nonsense. I believe that the interests of punters, racing and the TAB are served by this public and exposed process.
I have indicated, Ms Szuty, in response to Mr De Domenico's point about the profitability of the TAB, that this instrument will be used for race meetings. That will be able to be tested, not by waiting until the Assembly sits, as happens now with a disallowable instrument, but as they are signed and circulated to the members of the Assembly. I do accept and do acknowledge that there will be occasions when race meetings are held and the distributions are altered. I emphasise that race meetings may be held and distributions may be altered between the time that the instrument is made and the time that the Assembly sits. I have said quite clearly that that could be the case. Everything that I have said is about the alteration to the distribution associated with race meeting alterations through Tabcorp. That is the purpose for which this authority can be used; that is the purpose for which any adjustment can be made - not because this month the TAB feels that it is down a little and would like a greater slice of the cake. That is not the position that this legislation addresses or attempts to allow.
I can make those decisions under other provisions in the legislation, which are also disallowable instruments, which would also not be presented to this Assembly until the Assembly sat. But you would not know about it when I issued the disallowable instrument. You would not know about it for four months if I made one next week, and we did not sit again until April next year. What I am proposing as a safeguard, if you like, Ms Szuty, is that those disallowable instruments be the subject of immediate notice to members of this Assembly.
MS SZUTY (6.43): I will not be supporting Mr De Domenico's amendments, but I would like to make some points in relation to this Bill. I take Mr De Domenico's point that consultation did not occur with the racing clubs, and that is regrettable. Although they were not actually directly involved in terms of what the Minister is trying to do by the provisions of this Bill, they are indirectly involved. As the legislation that we are considering involves a quite major change, it is actually unfortunate that they were not involved in the original consultation process.
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