Dixon, Mr B.

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Why did the minister reject the advice of the chairs of the South Australian Jockey Club and Country Racing SA on the appointment of Mr Brett Dixon to the Thoroughbred Racing SA board? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Ms HILDYARD: InDaily reported today that they had obtained a copy of the letter—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my right! Leave is granted to the member for Reynell to introduce facts as may be necessary to explain the question. The member has leave.

Ms HILDYARD: InDaily reported today that they had obtained a copy of the letter from the chairs of the South Australian Jockey Club and Country Racing SA to the minister in which they advised him not to appoint Mr Brett Dixon to the board of Thoroughbred Racing SA because it would contravene the constitution.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:56): I thank the member for the question. I know that I have been asked a similar question, I think, in question time and also through estimates. I am happy to take the opportunity to explain the process again because I may not have been clear enough the first time, and I apologise for that.

The way this structure works at the moment is that we have an independent panel since we have committed money to the racing industry—some $24 million plus another $5 million, so $29 million that the industry has never seen before. From those opposite, all they got was a tax.

What we said was that if this money is going to the industry we want to see an independent panel put in place to help appoint people to their board to get good outside thinking and to help improve the industry and get good governance behind the industry.

There was an independent panel, which included members from Country Racing SA and the SAJC. They make a recommendation to me. They made the recommendations and Mr Dixon was one of those recommendations. In fact, they said that he was an exceptionally good candidate. I endorsed those recommendations, and the only authority I have is just to endorse those recommendations, if you can call it an authority really.

My endorsed recommendations then go the TRSA board, and it is for the TRSA board to ratify. So it is a decision for them. The TRSA obviously have a constitution and their constitution is a matter for them. As minister, there is nothing I can do to their constitution. They are responsible for that. They took the recommendations on board and they appointed the people appropriately. It is not a matter for the racing minister: it is a matter for the TRSA and their constitution.