Dan Repacholi (Hunter, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about an industry that is absolutely central to my electorate of the Hunter: the thoroughbred industry. When people think about the Hunter, they often think about the world's best wine, the best coal in the world, the iconic power stations, manufacturing and our stunning Lake Macquarie, the largest saltwater lake in the Southern Hemisphere, and they would be right. But they should also think about the horses, because the thoroughbred industry is one of the greatest success stories of our region and it deserves recognition in this place.

This is not just about racing on a Saturday afternoon. This is a serious regional industry that operates every day of the year and supports thousands of jobs right across the Hunter and the Upper Hunter and beyond. From Scone to Aberdeen and from Jerrys Plains to Denman, the thoroughbred industry is part of daily life. You see it in the paddocks, on the roads early in the morning and at the local cafes filled with people who've already done half a day's work before most of us have even had our first coffee. Yes, they probably still work harder than most politicians! That bar remains low, and they clear it comfortably.

A racehorse doesn't just turn up on the track ready to go. It takes years of work: breeding, foaling, breaking in, spelling, training and constant care. That means stablehands, stud grooms, vets, farriers, transport operators, feed suppliers, fencers, irrigators, admin staff and local tradies. This is skilled, physical and proud work. This is work that relies on experience passed down through generations and on new skills and technology that keep the industry competitive and world class.

The Hunter Valley is the engine room of thoroughbred breeding in Australia. New South Wales is the largest breeding state in the country, and the Upper Hunter sits right at the centre of it. Horses bred in my electorate are sold and raced across Australia and around the world, carrying the Hunter name with them. We are home to the most expensive yearling ever sold in Australia. It's the filly out of champion mare Winx that sold for a massive $10 million.

The economic impact is significant. The thoroughbred-breeding industry contributes well over $1 billion to the national economy each year and supports thousands of jobs, many of them in regional communities. In the Hunter region alone, the industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and supports thousands of direct and indirect jobs. That money flows straight through into local communities—into shops, pubs, schools, sporting clubs and small businesses. This is the kind of industry that keeps regional towns alive—not just surviving but growing.

It also brings global attention to the Hunter. Buyers from across Australia and around the world travel to see horses bred in our region. They invest here, spend money locally and take the Hunter name back with them. One of the clearest examples of that is the Magic Millions sales. Each year, Magic Millions brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales, with the recent January sales consistently topping $200 million. Hunter bred horses regularly feature among the leading vendors, showing the world the quality produced in our region. That means real money returning to the Hunter and being reinvested in farms, workers, equipment and local communities.

I'm a proud supporter of the thoroughbred industry. I support it because it supports jobs, I support it because it supports regional communities, and I support it because it shows what the Hunter does best: hard work, skill and world-class results. But support means more than just turning up on race day and taking a photo with a horse worth more than my house—although I will admit that the horse probably does have much better hair than I do! It means backing in good local roads so horses and workers can move safely; supporting training and skills so young people can build a future locally; providing planning certainty so businesses can invest; and maintaining the strong animal welfare standards that the community and the industry expect. The people in this industry do not ask for special treatment; they just ask for a fair go. The thoroughbred industry is not a sideshow. It's a major employer, a major exporter and a core part of the Hunter's identity.

So to everyone working in the industry, on the studs, in the stables and behind the scenes: thank you. Thank you for all you do. Thank you for all you do for the thoroughbred industry in the Hunter. You help power the Hunter economy, and you have my support in this parliament. Thank you to everyone that works hard out there in the horse and thoroughbred industry.