Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the Ascot Racecourse in my electorate of Swan at the invitation of the Perth Racing committee for the opening day of the spring racing carnival. There are two racecourses in my electorate and the Ascot is considered to be the summer track and Belmont the winter track. Both come under the auspices of Perth Racing. Both these racecourses are on the edge of the Swan River, which provides an idyllic backdrop to the excitement and carnival atmosphere of race day. I was invited to have lunch with the committee and was surprised to see former AFL star Robert ‘Dipper’ DiPierdomenico in attendance as well. Dipper managed to remind everyone at lunch that he was still a legend. After the lunch, I joined some friends of mine from South Perth Junior Football Club on the fence near the finishing post and joined in the celebratory mood of the day.

The Western Australian Turf Club was established in 1852 and is now known as Perth Racing. The Ascot course is situated eight kilometres east of the Perth CBD and her committee buildings and grandstand look as majestic now as they did at the turn of the century. Between the two courses there are 92 race meetings per year, more than any other club in Australia. And this year the stakes have been increased to a record $37.3 million. The WATC rebranded itself in 2004 to align itself more closely with the younger generation—and, looking around at the crowd on Saturday, it seems to have worked. The rebranding is not the only initiative the WATC has pioneered in recent years. The club has exported its race product to Singapore and Malaysia where it expects to turn over $100 million in the coming year.

The racing industry has an important role to play in the local community. When I was campaigning for the seat of Swan in the surrounding area of Ascot last year, many people I met had links with the club. Numerous people were employed by the club itself. In fact, the horse industry is one of the biggest industry employers in Australia. Veterinarians, jockeys, trainers, reins persons, farriers, track attendants, catering staff, livestock transporters, farmers, grain growers and steel makers are just a few of the professionals associated with this industry. The industry therefore generates a significant amount of income for the Western Australian government. In fact, in 2007 the WA government pocketed $61.3 million in turnover tax alone. Other locals speak passionately and at length about their love for the sport of horse racing and countless more utilise the club as a social facility.

Finally, the industry also makes a significant contribution to the tourism industry in WA and deserves much credit. The Railway Stakes could go to $5 million in the next four years, making it a world icon event as part of the Festival of Perth Racing. This depends on whether the new Barnett Liberal government continues with the agreement made in principle by the previous government. I would suggest that extra funding is required for the whole industry. A reduction in the tax on TAB earnings would be welcomed by the industry as well.

The racecourse faces some challenges in the future. However, I am sure that, under the expert guidance of the racing committee, they are well placed to meet these challenges. The WA Turf Club is impressively and innovatively taking racing forward into the future— (Time expired)