Racing Minister ignored his own working group’s damning findings

Racing Minister Jeremy Rockliff has been forced to concede he ignored key findings of his own working group and instead published a cherry-picked list of recommendations.

Shadow Racing Minister Scott Bacon said Mr Rockliff has been caught out during Government Business Enterprise hearings.

“The Minister’s working group warned that cutting or freezing stakes money would hurt the industry but Jeremy Rockliff hid crucial finding and recommendations from the public.

“He’s been caught out manipulating the findings of the working group to mask the damage done by his government’s broken election promise.

“The Liberals promised the racing industry they would “boost” stakes but instead cut prizemoney by 13 per cent across all three codes.

“Now it’s been revealed that the Minister’s own hand-picked committee explicitly warned of the dangers of cutting back stakes.”

The report handed to the Minister said: The WG does not believe that the sustainability of TRI can be assured by a strategy which focuses on reducing, holding, or delaying prizemoney increases. Returns to industry participants and stakeholders are the lifeblood of the industry. To restrict the flow of such funds would create a downward spiral in industry confidence which in all likelihood would be irreversible and counterproductive to achieving TRI sustainability.

But when Mr Rockliff released a press statement on July 22 the damning advice had been removed.

“This casts a dark cloud over the Minister’s performance,” Mr Bacon said.

“He’s deliberately ignored key findings and recommendations because they paint a clear picture of the consequences of his Government’s cuts.

“Jeremy Rockliff should apologise to the racing industry for not only breaking a promise but manipulating the findings of the working group.”
Scott Bacon MP Shadow Racing Minister