Bills

Port Pirie Racecourse Site Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 28 October 2015.)

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (12:00): I rise to speak today to the Port Pirie Racecourse Site Amendment Bill. It is, of course, a hybrid bill. These bills do come across our table from time to time. I looked up a definition of a hybrid bill. It is, in fact, a public bill proposing a law which affects the private interests of a particular person or organisation. Of course, in the case of this amendment bill, it relates to the Port Pirie race club. It is important and it is a requirement for these hybrid bills to be referred to a select committee, and that select committee, as I understand it, will be nominated and established today.

The Port Pirie Harness Racing Club is one of the most active regional racing clubs in South Australia. It conducts around 30 race meetings annually and so is a very important part of the local sporting calendar. It is a very important part of the local social calendar, no doubt. What the Port Pirie Harness Racing Club would like to do is to sublease a portion of the land that they control for a commercial development and this, in effect, will enable the club to generate much needed revenue for the club to reinvest into local racing at Port Pirie—a very noble cause.

We are really debating today the potential commercial development on crown land under the care and control of the Port Pirie Harness Racing Club. It is at Wandearah Road, Port Pirie, minister. We will see you there one day, no doubt.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: I've been there.

Mr TRELOAR: You have been there. I have not, but I am looking forward to getting there at some point. I have no doubt that you have been there as the minister responsible for racing. This proposed development could involve an investment in excess of $60 million, so we are talking about a fair bit of money here, and they are also talking about a minimum of about 200 jobs, so it is good to be able to give them that opportunity.

The Port Pirie Harness Racing Club would like to lease this land to a developer and use the proceeds to upgrade their facilities. The current act is a 1944 act and what we are looking to do today with the committee is to amend the act to ensure that the minister has the power to lease or sell this land on the terms and conditions that he believes are appropriate. It is a big responsibility, minister, but you well understand the intentions of the club.

I also note that the Port Pirie Regional Council is both supportive of the changes to the act and to the development of the land. It has the support of the racing club, the local council and, hopefully, the parliament, and should go ahead. With those few words, I look forward to establishing the committee to discuss this hybrid bill.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Local Government) (12:04): Firstly, I want to thank the minister for getting this bill to where it is today. This bill for the harness racing club in Port Pirie is going to be part of an integral growth opportunity for commercial and retail activity in Port Pirie.

Hopefully, by the time this all finishes there could be an $80 to $100 million project being established on the site. I again thank the minister. I also want to thank the member for Chaffey, the opposition shadow minister. I had some discussions with him and it has been very good so far, so I am looking forward to passing this new legislation to enable up to 400 jobs to be created.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (12:05): I would like to thank the member for Flinders for his contribution and for the bipartisan support that this bill has had. I would particularly like to thank the member for Frome, a good hardworking local member. I have been to Port Pirie several times and the member for Frome has taken me out to the site. He shares the vision with other people in the area and he has pointed out exactly what the potential could be. Anywhere in regional Australia where we can get a shot in the arm of this magnitude we should be doing everything we possibly can to try to make that happen.

Bill read a second time.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: This bill is designed to enable the Port Pirie Harness Racing Club Inc. (the club, formerly known as the Port Pirie Trotting and Racing Club) to grant another entity the right to the defined land or part thereof for a use otherwise than for the objects for which the original grant of land was provided to the club.

While the Port Pirie Racecourse Site Amendment Bill 2015 by its nature is a private bill, it has been introduced by the government and therefore the application of the joint standing orders as they apply to private bills is not relevant. This leaves the provisions of the joint standing orders as they apply to hybrid bills. The joint standing orders provide for two forms of hybrid bills. The first is a bill introduced by the government whose object is to promote the interests of one or more municipal corporations or local bodies and not those of municipal corporations or local bodies generally. The second is a bill introduced by the government authorising the granting of crown or waste lands to an individual person, a company, a corporation or a local body.

Clearly, this bill does not fit the second category, but it does fit the first, because the Port Pirie Harness Racing Club Inc. satisfies the definition based on precedent of a local body encompassing a corporation or company that has some benefit of, or is operating within a confined geographical locality. Based on the precedents established by this house and the consistent application of the joint standing orders and the principles that guide the consideration of such bills, I rule the bill to be hybrid.

Referred to Select Committee

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (12:08): I move:

That the bill be referred to a select committee pursuant to joint standing order (private bills) No. 2.

Motion carried.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I move:

That a committee be appointed consisting of the Hon. P. Caica, Mr Hughes, the Hon. T.R. Kenyon, Mr Treloar and Mr Bell.

Motion carried.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I move:

That the committee have power to send for persons, papers and records, to adjourn from place to place and to report on 19 November 2015.

Motion carried.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I move:

That standing order 339 be and remain so far suspended as to enable the select committee to authorise the disclosure or publication as it sees fit of any evidence presented to the committee prior to such evidence being reported to the house.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There not being an absolute majority of the house, ring the bells.

An absolute majority of the whole number of members being present:

Motion carried.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: By leave, I move:

That the committee have leave to sit during the sitting of the house today.

Motion carried.