Page 531 - Week 02 - Thursday, 9 March 2006
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There are amendments, which I have seen today. There seems to have been a breakdown in communications on this side of the chamber and possibly the other, but the wrong shadow minister was briefed on this particular issue and I have not had much time to consider the amendments. But, thanks to the officials and their prompt response to inquiries from my office a short time ago, I feel that the amendments that are to be put forward are based on legal advice and a rapid examination of them would suggest that there are no issues. I understand that my people have been in contact with the local racing club and there is support for what is contained within these measures. On the basis of the information we have and my own personal contacts with the racing industry, I am pleased to say that we will support the bill and we will support all the amendments that have been circulated today.
MR QUINLAN (Molonglo—Treasurer, Minister for Economic Development and Business, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Sport and Recreation, and Minister for Racing and Gaming) (11.42), in reply: Apropos of nothing, I congratulate Mr Smyth and Mr Mulcahy on their dress sense. It seems that the corporate wardrobe has come out today.
I thank the opposition for its support. First of all, I refer to any reference to delays and cancellations. Let me say that, during this particular problem that the racing club faced, the government was in constant touch with them and was, in fact, regularly assured that an agreement with New South Wales was imminent day by day and that no legislation was required to facilitate that agreement. So any delay has really been a case of the sorting out between the Canberra Racing Club and RacingNSW and I am sure that they would very happily support that summary of what occurred. I do want to congratulate our own insurance authority, especially Mr Tom McDonald, who is in the house today, on the work done on the process that we were able to put in place. We were able to provide accident insurance for the racing club, which is basic insurance, and the government decided that it would underwrite catastrophe level insurance while an agreement was being finalised and reached.
That agreement was reached some time ago and all seemed clear but, although Mr McDonald is a lawyer, he does indulge me enough to allow me to say “bloody lawyers” from time to time. We have gone from what was originally an assessment saying that we did not need a legislative base at all to allow New South Wales to cover ACT jockeys under the facilitation bill that we tabled initially through to a bill that is really only being extended to provide comfort to RacingNSW in terms of the definitions that would certainly enable them to cover the jockeys.
I think that everybody, those that take an interest anyway, understands that we work hand in glove and that ACT jockeys are licensed in New South Wales and we work within the insurance umbrella that covers New South Wales generally and we work within the risk management guidelines of RacingNSW. So there is a high degree of compatibility and overlap. The final agreement that we are now reaching is, I think, satisfactory to all. Mr Stefaniak has taken an interest in this issue. I think his first interest was the day we were announcing an interim agreement and all of a sudden out popped a press release saying that the government should do something. I do not know whether he had been asleep at the wheel for a couple of months or whether he was just trying to
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