weekly hansard - Queensland Parliament - Queensland Government

23 Aug 2005 Racing Venues Development Amendment Bill 2607
Mr SCHWARTEN: This a repetition of why I rose on a point of order the last time. It is exactly the
same set of words and it is irrelevant to the bill. This bill is about the Parklands Gold Coast Trust and
only the Parklands Gold Coast Trust.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr English): Order! There is no point of order. The member was talking
about racing. He did not specifically mention country racing. Again—
Mr Lawlor: This has got nothing to do with racing.
Mr HOBBS: It is to do with racing.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Member for Southport, I am controlling this House, not you.
Mr HOBBS: That is quite correct. We are talking about racing in general. Those opposite can try
to isolate these issues—
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! We are not discussing racing in general, so please do not
confuse what I am saying. We are discussing Parklands and the issues surrounding that, not racing
generally. Come back to the bill.
Mr HOBBS: Mr Deputy Speaker, I thought we were discussing the Racing Venues Development
Act 1982. At this stage it relates to only one club. However, it could go broader.
Government members: No.
Mr HOBBS: Why not? Can someone say why it cannot go broader? The reality is that it can, and
those opposite know that it can go broader.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr HOBBS: Sorry, Mr Deputy Speaker.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: This bill is about the Parklands development. The title of the bill is
broad; the bill is specific. You will come back to the contents of the bill. Do not try to kid me that you want
to extend it further. Please come back to the bill.
Mr HOBBS: I am not extending it further. I am saying exactly what it is. Members have previously
talked in this debate about the Big Day Out. It is important to have various functions at race clubs. If the
facilities are there and they are good facilities, that is fine. The point is that if eventually the vast majority
of income for the trusts is coming from non-racing events then we have some cause for concern. I think
we need to amend this bill to ensure that that does not happen. As the shadow minister said, we will be
supporting this legislation.
Mrs REILLY (Mudgeeraba—ALP) (4.31 pm): I am pleased to rise in support of the Racing
Venues Development Amendment Bill and to specifically point out again for the benefit of all members,
and in particular the member for Warrego, that, as is stated in the honourable minister’s second reading
speech, the Parklands Gold Coast Trust is the only trust established and constituted under the Racing
Venues Development Act 1982. Therefore, this legislation only involves the Parklands Gold Coast Trust,
which is recognised as the best dual-purpose harness and greyhound racing venue in Australia. The
income received by the trust has been used to enhance the facilities at the venue. They include
showground pavilions, an indoor sports centre, a car park and a food and beverage canteen. They are
great facilities and are used for a variety of both racing and non-racing purposes and maximise the
benefit of the Parklands Gold Coast venue to the community.
I know other honourable members have mentioned the Big Day Out, which is a particular
favourite event of mine that is held at Parklands showgrounds every year. But Parklands also hosts a
number of other shows—20 to 25 shows, in fact—covering home shows, caravan shows, boat shows,
various pavilion clearance events for clothing and sporting goods, charity book sales nearly every year
and farmers’ markets. One hundred to 120 weddings are held at the venue every year as well as 21st
birthdays and conferences. It provides a venue for examinations for Griffith University as well as
overflow parking for the university. There is an indoor cricket stadium that operates seven days a week.
The Gold Coast show is held at the Gold Coast Parklands and 55,000 people attend the Big Day Out.
So it is a great facility that has real community benefit.
The cross-subsidisation of the trust’s racing activities, with revenue from non-racing activities,
allows the Parklands Gold Coast Trust to maintain the venue to a high standard, and the venue is
currently undergoing some refurbishment to further improve the indoor facilities. The purpose of
the amendment is to enable greater discretion in permitting uses of the Parklands Gold Coast venue
than otherwise may have been the case under the current provisions of the Racing Venues
Development Act 1982. This amendment resolves any ambiguity involved with the Parklands Gold
Coast Trust’s use of the venue following its transfer to the Racing Venues Development Act 1982 in
2003. It is essential that the potential uses of this venue are maximised for the benefit of the community
as a whole, and the amendment facilitates the occurrence of this.
I congratulate the trust on the work that it does. I recently attended a harness racing night. It was
a great evening and was most enjoyable. It had a great atmosphere and provided something for people
of all ages and of all budgets. There was a range of catering arrangements. It was also a good family
night. It is a shame that more people do not go to harness racing because it really is fun and enjoyable.
If one just works on the punt, it does not need to be an expensive night either. Do not follow my racing