Parliament committee presiding over the new Racing Integrity Bill describes Department of Racing’s consultation process as “regrettable”

THE parliament committee presiding over the new Racing Integrity Bill has described the Department of Racing’s consultation process as “regrettable” and could not agree whether the bill should be passed.

NEWS_Queensland Labor MP Grace Grace pictured here during parliament sitting today 24/2/2016. Pictures: Jack Tran

THE parliament committee presiding over the new Racing Integrity Bill has described the Department of Racing’s consultation process as “regrettable” and could not agree whether the bill should be passed.

However, it was supportive of the new seven-person board structure, concluding that a representative from each code is sufficient to ensure the board is well-informed.

The Parliament Agriculture and Environment Committee handed down its report summarising its examination of the Racing Integrity Bill last night.

The summary made eight recommendations, the third of which stated “the committee could not agree whether the bill should be passed.”

It has been recommended Racing Minister Grace Grace facilitate a number of changes to the bill, including providing more specific details on expenses associated with the new Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC).

“In the absence of clear information about the assessment of implementation costs for government, it is difficult to gauge whether the anticipated benefits of the Bill are worthwhile,” the committee said.

The Committee was scathing in the way the Department, at the time under the direction of former Racing Minister Bill Byrne, failed to consult with the racing industry in the compilation of the bill.

The committee commented that consultation with the racing industry should have been “an intrinsic and routine part of the policy.”

“Regrettably the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing did not consult with community or industry stakeholders or the public in relation to the provisions in the Bill,” the committee noted.

“As a result, racing industry participants … were excluded from the Bill’s development.”

The committee said the department chose instead to rely on consultation conducted as part of the Greyhound Racing Commission of inquiry, but “that inquiry focused on greyhound racing, not the entire Queensland racing industry.”

“This omission by the department is particularly regrettable for the State’s horse racing interests,” the committee said.

“The consultation processes for the Commission of Inquiry … do not replace the need for departments to consult with stakeholders while developing policy and legislation.”

While the Committee aired a number of concerns over the bill, the structure of the new seven person board, which has been central to many racing industry complaints, was not of concern.

“The committee is satisfied that the number of racing industry members on the board will be sufficient to ensure that the board is well informed of the industry perspective on issues, while the remaining board members will provide critical expertise to ensure that the board operates effectively to discharge its responsibilities and provides strong strategic leadership to the racing industry,” it noted.

Committee Chair Glenn Butcher said the strong opposition and criticisms of the Bill from the racing industry had been noted.

“The committee has made a number of sensible recommendations to improve the Bill arising from this work,” he said.

Originally published as Parliament committee presiding over the new Racing Integrity Bill describes Department of Racing’s consultation process as “regrettable”