House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2019-10-30 Daily Xml

Contents

Thoroughbred Racing SA Appointments

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (14:59): My question is again to the Minister for Racing. Before the minister endorsed Mr Brett Dixon for appointment to the Thoroughbred Racing SA board, was he aware that part 4, section 25.6 of the Thoroughbred Racing SA constitution prohibits a person who is a committee member of another racing club from being appointed a Thoroughbred Racing SA director?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:59): I thank the member very much for her question and encourage her to read the entire constitution because, if she does, she will go on to find out that a person—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: No, you can read it. Please feel free. Have a look through it and go through it in its entirety. It will outline that an industry stakeholder group and/or people who are members of a racing club have to be incorporated within South Australia. Mr Dixon is incorporated outside of South Australia, which makes him eligible. Again, I stress the point—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —that the three people I did recommend to be on the board, the people I endorsed who were recommended to me by the advisory committee, are absolutely outstanding operators. They are people who will take racing forward. In fact, I think even the chair of the Murray Bridge Racing Club was quoted today as saying that this person is an outstanding operator. You might want to drag racing down. We want to put good people in place delivering good governance that will grow this sport and grow the industry.

The SPEAKER: I do not want to drag racing down.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I apologise, Mr Speaker. You don't want to drag racing down. It's the member for Reynell who is focused on doing that.

The SPEAKER: The member for Heysen has been chomping at the bit for a question.