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8142 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY Wednesday 4 June 2008 __________ The Speaker (The Hon. George Richard Torbay) took the chair at 10.00 a.m. The Speaker read the Prayer and acknowledgement of country. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE Notices of Motions General Business Notices of Motions (General Notices) given. MISCELLANEOUS ACTS AMENDMENT (SAME SEX RELATIONSHIPS) BILL 2008 Bill received from the Legislative Council and introduced. Agreement in principle set down as an order of the day for a later hour. AUSTRALIAN JOCKEY CLUB BILL 2008 Agreement in Principle Debate resumed from 14 May 2008. Mr GEORGE SOURIS (Upper Hunter) [10.04 a.m.]: I have pleasure in leading for the Opposition in the debate on the Australian Jockey Club Bill 2008. I say at the outset that the Opposition will not oppose the bill—in fact, we will take some pleasure in seeing it ultimately change the face of the Australian Jockey Club. The purpose of the bill is to recognise the incorporation of the Australian Jockey Club and to transfer its assets, rights and liabilities to the newly incorporated Australian Jockey Club Limited. The bill will also enable the trustees of Randwick racecourse to grant a lease of the racecourse lands for up to 99 years. The Australian Jockey Club is currently an unincorporated association. In light of recent financial concerns, the chairman and board members, focusing on their potential personal liability and in line with modern business practice, initiated the process to update the current Australian Jockey Club Act, which dates back to 1873. The trustees of Randwick racecourse are limited to granting a 50-year lease under the current Act. The bill will create the Australian Jockey Club Limited, and all assets, rights and liabilities will be transferred to this new entity. The Australian Jockey Club will have the incorporated and unincorporated entities running concurrently for a limited time to help ease the transition for members, who will also need to change their membership. It is expected that this will be done at the same time as membership renewal in order to minimise confusion and expense. The Royal Randwick Racecourse lease will be renewed from the current 50 years to 99 years. The Government has also updated the provisions of the 1873 Act to modern-day English in order to afford the Australian Jockey Club and all interested parties a clearer understanding of the Act. I do not envisage that any arguments could be mounted against the bill. Indeed, there are many arguments in support of it. The bill updates the Australian Jockey Club Act for the modern corporate world, and will protect the board from liability. No changes to the current running of the Australian Jockey Club are expected. The Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing has ensured that no assets, rights or liabilities will be excluded from this amendment, and the Government is not affording the Australian Jockey Club any new, or deleting any existing, rights. The 99-year lease will afford the Australian Jockey Club more stability and value for future planning. I am thankful to a number of parties who have briefed me on the bill, particularly Mr Frank Marzic from the office of racing and Mr Paul Nunnari from the office of the Minister for Gaming and Racing. I also conferred with interested parties, including Racing New South Wales and the Australian Jockey Club and its chairman, Mr Ross Smyth-Kirk. The Australian Jockey Club is a wonderful and enduring institution. Like many others, I have had numerous enjoyable experiences at Royal Randwick Racecourse. I also had the privilege of 4 June 2008 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 8143 serving as the Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing for a time—it is quite a few years ago, now that I think about it; I will try to do the sums as I go. It was 1992—a great year—and the Queen visited Randwick racecourse and conferred the title "Royal Randwick" upon it. Sunday racing was also instituted during my time as Minister. The Government's revenue from Sunday race days was used to finance the bid for the Sydney Olympics, which was ultimately successful and led to the staging of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. That was a troubled period, and I can recount my experience as Minister. I think I am the only Minister who has sat in the witness box before a full bench of the exalted Australian Jockey Club Committee to present the arguments on behalf of the Government for Sunday racing. I recall vividly not having to utter a word. I was merely ushered into the witness box to have the chairman at the time, Mr Jim Bell, pronounce upon me that the AJC had decided to conduct four Sunday race meetings. So, I packed up my kit and departed without uttering a word. My other happy experience—although fairly traumatic at the time—was to support the reinstatement of a training licence for Mrs Gai Waterhouse, who has become such a star in the racing industry, who brings such great credit to the industry and who has established a great support base for the industry. I express my personal gratitude to past and present members and chairmen of the AJC Committee and the membership of the AJC for the way in which they have conducted racing for such a long time. Most of the history of the AJC was as the principal club of the industry. The principal club Act itself is an institution in its own right. The Australian Jockey Club has dealt with the recent troubles with equine influenza, and I add my best wishes to the many best wishes that have been offered to the AJC as it emerges from that crisis. I was at Royal Randwick Racecourse on Doncaster Day for the Autumn Carnival. My pleasure, apart from being able to box a couple of quinelli— Mr Michael Daley: Quinelli? Mr GEORGE SOURIS: Oh, yes. I am still waiting for the mathematicians to tell me how many years it has been since I have been Minister, but in the meantime I can offer you a little bit of Latin! Mr Michael Daley: I thought it would be ancient Greek. Mr GEORGE SOURIS: No, I cannot understand that. I express my pleasure at the success of the Autumn Carnival and the resumption of racing as we have known it in the past. We look forward to even greater successes. It is my pleasure to commend the bill to the House. Mr GEOFF CORRIGAN (Camden) [10.12 a.m.]: The member for Upper Hunter was Minister for Sport, Recreation and Racing 17 years ago. I did not realise that Randwick racecourse became Royal Randwick Racecourse at that time. My first venture to Randwick was to see the Rolling Stones in 1972 or 1973. I cannot remember when, but way back. Mr George Souris: Mine was to attend a papal mass. Mr GEOFF CORRIGAN: I was going to cover the incorporation but my colleague the member for East Hills is going to cover that. I want to talk about Randwick being a place for significant events. The bill is another step in the Government's approach to reinvigorating the State's calendar of events in New South Wales. In March this year the State Government announced funding of $750,000 to support a rejuvenated Autumn Racing Carnival, and I was pleased that the Minister and the shadow Minister were able to attend. Randwick racecourse is one of the key racetracks for the carnival. An agreement between Events New South Wales and the State's leading racing industry stakeholders will see the staging of the Autumn Racing Carnival at the same time every year. The Autumn Racing Carnival involves the prestigious Golden Slipper, the AJC Derby, the Doncaster Handicap and the world-renowned Inglis Easter yearling sales, which I have spoken about before. My constituents the Inglis family run a wonderful Easter yearling sales, although there have been some changes in the ownership of that business. Nevertheless, over the years the Inglis family has done a great job promoting racing. A major event on the racing industry's calendar has been turned into a sporting, cultural and social event of global significance. This year we also saw metropolitan and regional racing under one umbrella campaign for the first time. Regional New South Wales was in the spotlight during the Autumn Racing Carnival with a series of high-profile race meetings and events such as the Orange Cup, Newcastle Newmarket and the Wagga Gold Cup. Future carnivals will take place during a fixed window in April. That is a great innovation. The Australian Jockey Club Amendment Bill 2008, by allowing the AJC to take a 99-year lease on Randwick racecourse, will give 8144 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY 4 June 2008 the AJC business certainty into the future. It will allow the AJC to plan for the long term, and help it to take its part in a successful Autumn Racing Carnival and other events on the racing calendar. I commend the bill to the House. Mr RAY WILLIAMS (Hawkesbury) [10.14 a.m.]: The purpose of the Australian Jockey Club Bill 2008 is to modernise the corporate structure of the Australian Jockey Club [AJC]. It is amazing that a club that was formed in 1842 is an unincorporated association. I find that extraordinary for a couple of reasons, one being the type of institution it is and other being the imposition that was placed on trainers back in the 1980s by the costs associated with workers compensation and public liability. As I have said in the House before, I was a former AJC licensed thoroughbred trainer for 20 years, as were my father and uncle.