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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2002 Week 4 Hansard (11 April) . . Page.. 1020 ..

MR QUINLAN (continuing):

contribution by those bookmakers to the racing industry and, therefore, a lack of contribution to the product upon which they, in fact, depend for business.

Across Australia there are various levels of taxation applied; there is no uniformity applied to these sports or corporate bookmakers. There doesn't seem to be a lot of hope of getting consistency.

The Northern Territory has charged ahead and is entertaining overtures from very, very substantial international sports bookmakers who do have the potential to, in fact, take a considerable slice of business away from the totalisators, the TABs, that have been used to a level of business.

We find that, under the New South Wales minister, the New South Wales TAB owns SkyChannel, which broadcasts racing across Australia. At least the New South Wales racing clubs are working in concert on a number of fronts, all of which are acts of retribution against the ACT for having done nothing in the three years since they first came to the territory for discussions on their particular concerns.

Because New South Wales and the ACT have enjoyed a number of cooperative arrangements over the years-whether it be jails, hospitals, our education systems, regional development-we have tended to work in well. I think it is fairly clear that, for the good of both the ACT and the region, harmonious relationships need to be maintained. Otherwise, the fall-out would do nobody any good and could do a considerable amount of harm.

I have expressed to New South Wales that I rather sympathise with their position and that I am prepared to bring to my own caucus, to government, proposals to bring our activities into line with those of New South Wales. For whatever reason, we are not getting very far. I have to say I am quite concerned as to what might be the fall-out.

I would like to acquaint the house of the possibility, because the ACT racing industry does depend on having a relationship with New South Wales in particular and with the Australian Racing Board, that, if we were expelled from the Australian Racing Board, then trainers, jockeys and horses from the ACT could not feature at any meetings outside the ACT; and horses, trainers and jockeys from outside the ACT could not feature at our races. It would kill the local racing industry.

We have a genuine concern and, I have to say, a not very accommodating, at this point-he might be just playing hard ball in some tough negotiations-minister for racing in New South Wales. I have written to him and said what we would like to try to do to accommodate his concerns, because we accept some of them. I have also taken the liberty of going over his head and discussing this with the Treasurer of New South Wales.

I have also gone the further mile-and I should advise the house of this-and implied in the letter I wrote to him that if, in fact, he and the New South Wales government continue along this line, and the ACT racing industry does face the fall-out that would probably put it in serious jeopardy at least, we would no longer feel constrained to be cooperative in relation to sports bookmaking. On the contrary, we would feel that the loss of our industry, the loss of our TAB and the loss of the income from there might

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