Wednesday, 17 June 2026

 Pauline RICHARDS (Cranbourne) (15:26): I am very, very pleased to have the opportunity to speak on the Racing Legislation Amendment (Entity Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2026. What a state we have in Victoria, where racing and major events are really so much a part of the calendar. And boy, we are not going to talk about racing without talking about Cranbourne, because there is a lot going on in Cranny.

I have got a lot to say about this legislation, but I have to get some really interesting goss onto the public record. The member for Wendouree had her second date with Mr Addison at the Cranbourne Cup, so the Cranbourne racetrack is the place to be. You know, there are a lot of people swiping left and right, and there are a lot of other people who find all sorts of methods to meet people, and I think that they are all worthy and everyone ought to be happy and have time to spend with somebody that they love. But I am going to use this opportunity to send all my love to Mr Addison and say that when you took the member for Wendouree – she was the future member for Wendouree at the time – to Cranbourne racetrack for that second date, or when the member for Wendouree took you, then that was actually a very wise choice. You are made for each other, and I wish you all my love.

This bill will amend the Racing Act 1958 and consolidate the functions of the racing integrity commissioner and the Victorian Racing Integrity Board into a single entity. It is going to facilitate the establishment of Greyhound Racing Victoria – and I cannot wait to also get on the record some pretty exciting news about what is going on with greyhound racing down in Cranny – and Harness Racing Victoria as public companies limited by guarantee. And of course harness racing, the trots, down in Cranbourne is also a place where there is a lot of fun, there is a lot of joy and the community come together. I have got a lot to say about the people who are involved in harness racing down in Cranny, and I will be certainly making sure that they are immortalised in Hansard too. The bill provides a legal authority for Greyhound Racing Victoria and Harness Racing Victoria in their new structures to act as the controlling bodies for greyhound and harness racing in Victoria and grants those bodies specific powers to enable them to fulfil their purposes. It makes various other amendments to improve and modernise the operation of the Racing Act.

Greyhound racing is terrific. I have been down to Sandown because, in fact, the Cranbourne Cup has been operating out of Sandown. I was there with the member for Mulgrave just a few months ago, and I was pleased to be able to have some time down there but also to spend some time with the terrific people from the greyhound racing industry, who do care so much about the dogs. It was wonderful to be there with some of the wonderful pooches who are such an important part of the care and love that the industry puts towards greyhounds in my patch.

Work has been happening on the redevelopment of the greyhound racing track down in Cranbourne. I am going to take the opportunity to recognise and thank Andrew Fennell for the incredible work he has been doing to bring this really important project to life. I have been down and had a couple of look-sees at how it is going along, and the work is going gangbusters. Not only are we going to have a safer track for the dogs and a better experience for people who are going down to enjoy greyhound racing, but I know that there have been many people involved in the work and the employment of getting the greyhound racing track going. The project is going to contribute an estimated $34 million in additional total expenditure and deliver a $23 million boost in value-added economic impact over the next five years. I think it is important for us to make sure that we are acknowledging the impact of greyhound racing, particularly once we get this new track up and going. I plan to be there and celebrate with so many people. I know the member for Warren North has been down as well, and we all love Cranny.

On the economic impact of the racing industry in the City of Casey there is some really interesting and important research that has been done. When I was first elected I was told very early that the tri-code Cranbourne racing track was the largest employer in my electorate. At the time I think there were about 700 or so people working down there. It is a little bit of a TARDIS; you get there and you do not realise how big it is and how many trainers there are. I am now advised by the most recent information I have that there were 1590 full-time equivalent people employed down there, so that is the number of FTE. But of course there are so many more than that, because down at the racetrack there are people who work in all sorts of roles, not just as it relates to the trots, not just as it relates to the turf club, not just as it relates to the dogs, but also those who provide hospitality. There is a $207 million economic contribution to the City of Casey, and a really significant amount of household income is generated. It is not cute to say that many of the people who live in Cranbourne, who live in the constituency I serve and who in fact live near where I live are employed down at the racetrack – 876 trainers staff and volunteers; 2779 owners; 298 breeders staff and volunteers; 744 racing club staff; and other participants. We have got a total of 4772 people who are involved or participants in racing in my part of the world, and that is really important because not only does the racetrack provide a place for people to come together and enjoy the day, it is also a place where I have attended many, many school events and multicultural events. We are very fortunate that BAPS, one of the big faith groups, were able to bring an important faith leader to Cranbourne, and that is an important way that the Cranbourne racetrack does support the community.

I am just going to deviate to harness racing for a moment and acknowledge David and Linda Scott, who are terrific members of the Cranbourne community and have been instrumental in their leadership in harness racing down in Cranbourne. David and Linda are part of a community of people who really do enhance that inclusive environment, and I am very grateful to them every time I see them.

This bill recognises the enormous contribution that racing makes to our state. I think I have undertaken quite a lot of effort in unpacking how important it is to my own community. It contributes $4.7 billion annually to the economy and generates over $500 million in tax revenue and 34,500 full-time equivalent jobs. Cranbourne has established itself as one of the most significant racing centres in Australia. I know when a lot of the trainers left Caulfield and came to Cranbourne that was something that was very much welcomed in our community because of that economic generation that comes with having so many trainers move to the centre of the universe. When we discuss the future of racing in Victoria we have to recognise that decisions made in this Parliament have a direct impact on communities like Cranbourne.

The strength of our integrity systems, the effectiveness of our governance arrangements and the confidence of participants all influence whether our racing industry continues to thrive.

At its heart, this bill is about ensuring that the structures governing racing remain fit for purpose in a changing environment, and one of the most significant reforms contained in it is the establishment of the Racing Integrity Commission Victoria. Public confidence is essential for the success of any sporting industry, so whether we are participants or punters or the broader community we need to have confidence that racing is conducted fairly transparently and with appropriate oversight.

This is an opportunity for me to acknowledge that when the greyhound community were concerned about the track work and whether the government did continue to have a commitment to the track work that was going to be undertaken – and has nearly been completed – in Cranbourne, I did have a number of families from right around Cranbourne, particularly Cranbourne South, Devon Meadows and Pearcedale, come to see me, and I want to take the time to thank them for being so generous. They came to my office and spoke about their love of the dogs. They spoke about how important the greyhound racing community and fraternity is and why it was important for them to be able to have a track in Cranbourne. Many of them have been travelling to different parts of the state because there has been no other option. It is going to be a moment of terrific celebration, the opening of the track at Cranbourne. We are going to be so happy to have the Cranbourne Cup back where it belongs, at the centre of the universe. It has been nice that Sandown have been able to look after us for this interim time, but to be able to have this here is going to be such a surprise.

 Ellen SANDELL (Melbourne) (15:36): The Greens will oppose the Racing Legislation Amendment (Entity Governance and Other Matters) Bill 2026. This is a significant restructuring bill. It abolishes the Victorian Racing Integrity Board and combines its functions with those of the racing integrity commissioner in a new Racing Integrity Commission Victoria. The bill also changes the Victorian Racing Tribunal and gives the Australian Grand Prix Corporation broader commercial powers for motorsport events. Most significantly, the bill abolishes Greyhound Racing Victoria and Harness Racing Victoria as statutory authorities and transfers their property, rights, liabilities and employees to new not-for-profit public companies limited by guarantee. The minister will appoint their directors, while Parliament will have limited power to disallow later changes to their constitutions.

The minister says these changes will remove duplication between the integrity commissioner and the integrity board, clarify responsibility and create a more streamlined integrity system, but the test is not whether this bill is more convenient for the racing industry; the test should be whether it produces better outcomes for the public, for the people harmed by gambling, for animals used by the industry and for the taxpayers who underwrite it. On gambling harm, this bill fails that test. It establishes no gambling harm prevention objective or duty for any controlling body. It requires them to promote and develop racing commercially but does not balance that function with the statutory responsibility to reduce harm. There is no requirement for public health expertise on boards, no harm minimisation plan, no transparent reporting of wagering dependence and no mechanism linking public funding to reductions in gambling harm. The bill excludes some wagering interests from board eligibility, but one conflict-of-interest rule is not a comprehensive harm prevention framework. That omission matters when racing’s business model is so closely tied to gambling revenue. We see here again a bill that entrenches commercial promotion while remaining silent on gambling harm and only reinforces this existing imbalance.

The animal welfare provisions are also inadequate. The bill lists promoting animal welfare as an objective and allows the integrity commissioner to audit welfare-related policies and procedures, but it does not establish enforceable welfare standards, independent inspections, mandatory outcome targets or comprehensive reporting of injuries, deaths, euthanasia, breeding, traceability and rehoming. The same organisations will continue to promote racing to grow its commercial returns, to regulate participants and to oversee animal welfare. That structural conflict remains. Day-to-day integrity responsibilities also remain with the three controlling bodies. The new commission provides oversight but is not an independent animal welfare regulator.

Transparency and accountability are further areas of serious concern. The government has told Parliament that Harness Racing Victoria has received $86.8 million in support, including a $41 million taxpayer loan. The Victorian Racing Industry Fund provides $72 million over four years, with further public money directed through event and infrastructure programs. With that scale of public support, accountability should be strengthened, not weakened. Yet the bill expressly provides that the new Greyhound Racing Victoria and Harness Racing Victoria companies will not be public entities under the Public Administration Act 2004 and will not be public bodies under the Financial Management Act 1994. Public assets, contracts and liabilities will be transferred to companies that control racing funds and property. Moving functions to new corporate structures must not reduce public scrutiny or access to information.

Before any transfer occurs, the government should provide a statute-by-statute account of the successor companies’ coverage under freedom of information laws, VAGO oversight, the Ombudsman, IBAC, public interest disclosure protections, privacy legislation and the Public Records Act 1973. The legislation should also guarantee the continued tabling of annual reports and audited financial statements in Parliament. The government must explain precisely what the new structure means for public sector financial directions, procurement, executive remuneration, public records and whistleblower protections. Racing Victoria’s company structure is compatible with freedom of information laws. There is therefore no justification for failing to guarantee equivalent coverage for the new entities.

There are also significant concerns about the future of public assets and land. All property and liabilities will be transferred to the successor companies, but the bill does not provide the safeguards that should accompany that transfer. The Greens believe publicly derived assets should remain in public hands, ensuring that land cannot be sold, transferred or mortgaged without strict safeguards and that its value remains dedicated to an approved public purpose. The Greens will be asking questions of the minister about this during the committee stage in the upper house. The legislation should also set out what happens to those assets if a successor company becomes insolvent, is wound up or loses its certification. This is particularly important given the value and future development potential of Harness Racing Victoria’s land at Melton.

Public funding must come with enforceable conditions. Every grant, loan guarantee, wagering distribution and infrastructure contribution should be publicly disclosed. Financial supports should be conditional on independently verified improvements in animal welfare and reductions in gambling harm. The structure of the new companies raises additional governance problems. The directors will be the only members of each company. The minister will appoint the boards, and the use of an independent advisory panel is optional. There is no guaranteed representation for animal welfare, gambling harm prevention, workers, community interest or regional communities on the boards. The companies and their boards will also determine director and chief executive remuneration. There are serious questions about whether the new integrity commission will have sufficient independence, authority and resources. The integrity board will consist of only three people, although now we have an amendment to increase it to five, and the commission will be funded through costs recovered from the bodies it oversees. Its principal powers appear to involve auditing, investigation, recommending and reporting. These functions are not sufficient unless they produce real consequences. Reports should be published. Controlling bodies should be required to respond publicly, and there must be a clear enforcement pathway when recommendations are rejected or ignored. Even the commissioner’s own-motion inquiry powers are constrained by a requirement for agreement that a matter is sufficiently serious. Recommendations can still be ignored, with escalation to the minister rather than direct enforcement. That simply is not good enough when it comes to racing and gambling.

Let us talk about this state’s obsession with racing and gambling. Victoria is one of only two places in the entire world that has a public holiday dedicated to a horserace, and Adelaide is the other one – only two places in the world, and they are both here in Australia. Victoria has more greyhound racing tracks than the whole of the US – in fact six times more. We have 13 active greyhound racing tracks in this state, while the US has just two. I hear Labor members on the other side saying, ‘Hear, hear! Isn’t this fantastic? Isn’t it great that we are the racing capital of the world.’ I do not think that is something to be proud of. I do not need to tell people here about the cruelty and the unnecessary deaths caused by horseracing and greyhound racing. The Greens have been talking about this for decades.

Victorians also know about the extensive gambling harm that racing causes to Victorians and their families and the cost to taxpayers in support services needed to mop up the mess, and the Labor Party does not seem to care about this one iota. What I do not understand is why this Labor government is so obsessed with continuing to promote cruel racing practices. The Labor government is giving $900 million – nearly a billion dollars – of our taxpayer money to the racing industry over 10 years. At the same time, the Labor government is cutting costs to the things that Victorians actually need. They have cut over $2 billion from schools, they are refusing to pay healthcare workers a fair wage and they are demolishing public housing homes as we speak with no intention of rebuilding any public housing. This government’s priorities are all wrong, and it is no wonder that Victorians are looking for a better option as we head towards the election.

The bill also bundles these racing governance changes in with expanded commercial powers for the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, including ticketing, supporting facilities, commercial sponsorship and broadcasting rights. These provisions deserve separate scrutiny rather than being attached to a major restructuring of racing regulation.

If you take these things together, this bill is nothing but a gift from Labor to both the racing industry and the Australian Grand Prix Corporation, and this is after Labor has already found $400 million of taxpayer funds to fund luxury corporate box upgrades at the grand prix. Isn’t it funny that Labor also say that they cannot afford to make public transport free for good, that Labor say they cannot afford to build public housing, that Labor are cutting more than $2 billion from Victorian public schools, that Labor cannot afford to fund our community health centres or the community services that we need, but they can find $400 million of taxpayer funds for luxury upgrades at the grand prix. Heaven forbid that Labor’s corporate mates at the grand prix would have to pay for their own luxury corporate box upgrades! And I guess it must only be a coincidence that the chair of the grand prix corporation is none other than the former Labor racing minister himself, Martin Pakula. You literally could not make this stuff up.

Danny Pearson interjected.

Ellen SANDELL: The Labor member for Essendon is saying, ‘What’s my point?’ My point is that Victorians are fed up with this game of mates. They are fed up with people in the Labor Party giving tens, if not hundreds, of million dollars to racing and to the grand prix while they are struggling and do not have the services that they need. It is no wonder that people are deserting the major parties and deserting Labor when they continue to make decisions like this. It is no wonder that no-one trusts the Labor and Liberal parties anymore, because we are here in Parliament today, and what has Labor chosen to spend their time on? Introducing a bill to make life easier for the racing and gambling industries rather than making life easier for everyday Victorians. Labor are so captured by vested interests and their corporate donors that it would almost be laughable if it actually was not so serious.

We could be here in Parliament today introducing laws for free public transport, to put a cap on rents, to build more public housing – the things that Victorians are crying out for. But no, instead we are talking about Labor giving more support for the gambling lobby, more support for the racing industry and more support for the grand prix. Isn’t it interesting that no-one in their speeches on the Labor side during this debate has mentioned the donations that Labor gets from the gambling industry. No-one has mentioned the fact that the chair of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation happens to be the ex–Labor Minister for Racing Martin Pakula. It is no wonder that people feel that the system is rigged against them, because it is. And it is no wonder that Victorians are angry – I am angry – when the major parties play this ridiculous game of mates and give more and more favours to the big end of town when ordinary people’s lives get harder and harder.

These are exactly the conditions that Labor and Liberal have created. These are the conditions when the far-right snake-oil salesmen move in. It opens the door for people like Trump, as we have seen in America, like Farage in the UK and like Pauline Hanson’s One Nation right here in Victoria to thrive.

These right-wing opportunists take all the justified anger that exists in the community –

Danny Pearson: On a point of order, Acting Speaker, I fail to see what Donald Trump and Nigel Farage have got to do with the Victorian racing industry.

Ellen SANDELL: On the point of order, Acting Speaker, as the lead speaker I have licence to go wider than the specifics of the bill.

Danny Pearson: No, you do not.

Ellen SANDELL: I do as the lead speaker. Maybe you have not been the lead speaker on a bill yet.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Kim O’Keeffe): I do not uphold the point of order.

Ellen SANDELL: These right-wing opportunists take all that justified anger that exists in the community, the anger that has been created by the failure of the major parties, but then they take it and they try and direct it at migrants, at trans people or at anyone else that they think they can scapegoat to distract from the groups that are actually responsible for life getting harder. The real story, the real scandal, is that the rules of our economy have been written by politicians and their corporate and billionaire mates to benefit themselves. But let us be clear: swapping one corporate-backed party for another will not fix this. One Nation, Labor, the Liberals, the Nationals – all of them do the same thing: they take donations and marching orders from the big end of town and then make laws to benefit the big end of town. That is exactly what this law that Labor is bringing today is doing to help the gambling and racing industries and lobbies and the grand prix. So let us be clear: One Nation are controlled and funded by the same big end of town, and they are using this political moment to get more power so that they can get into power and write more laws to protect the profits of people like Gina Rinehart and the big corporations while Victorians continue to get screwed over. Otherwise, why would Gina Rinehart support them if she was not getting something out of it?

All of this comes at the expense of ordinary Victorians. Let us be clear: One Nation is a symptom of the failure of the old major parties, and the old parties are playing right into their hands by their failure to act on the big issues that are actually facing Victorians. But make no mistake, the two-party system is dying – it is on its last legs – and right now, all around the world, ordinary people are fighting back and demanding better. People are refusing to accept that this is just the way things have to be, because the answer to a broken system is not more division; it is coming together and building something better. One Nation has had the same racist playbook for 30 years, and they have been waiting for this moment. We cannot give them that satisfaction. Pauline Hanson wants people to be angry at each other, but instead we need to be angry at who rigged the system in the first place. If enough of us do that, if enough of us stand up to the major parties and fight for the things that Victorians actually need, we can build a future that is fairer, kinder and better than the one that the old parties have given us.

 Danny PEARSON (Essendon) (15:53): Mercifully, that is over. I mean, what a load of drivel. This industry is a vitally important industry that employs thousands of Victorians, many of whom actually live in my electorate. I am so grateful and fortunate to have both Moonee Valley and Flemington in my electorate. I note that the member for Melbourne is slinking out of the chamber, going back to have her tofu, and you know – she will not be reading the form guide in Sessions, I reckon. I am pretty sure she is not going to be doing that. She is instead going to be the wowser that she is lording it over the rest of us. This is an important industry because it employs thousands of Victorians. And for me, I am of a certain age where on Saturday night there was Penthouse 78. Not sure if you remember Penthouse 78, Acting Speaker. There are a few in the chamber that remember Penthouse 78 with Ernie Sigley and Denise Drysdale, a variety show on a Saturday night. They would have the trots.

Matthew Guy interjected.

Danny PEARSON: I am that old, and I remember seeing the trots go around at the showgrounds in the 70s. I will tell you, when you are a young fella, you think, ‘This is just magic.’ It is a thing of wonder and beauty.

Why I find this particularly interesting is that if you compare and contrast and think about the way in which ancient Rome has played a pivotal role in the way in which we govern as a modern society, back in the day, the Circus Maximus was the preferred form of racing. Indeed whereas now we are more into the thoroughbreds than harness racing, for the Romans it was the reverse, Acting Speaker O’Keeffe, and I know you will be delighted to hear this.

The Circus Maximus was a long oval lap of seven laps. It could have about 150,000 to 250,000 spectators. When you think that ancient Rome had a population of a million, that is quite a turnout. You had two options: the four-horse chariots, known as quadrigae, or the two-horse chariots, which were bigae. The reality is that many of those drivers of the chariots, who were called aurigae, were slaves and many were freedmen. But what I learned and I did not realise is that there were four racing syndicates that dominated ancient Rome, and they were based around the colours red, white, blue and green. In actual fact blue and green were the preferred ones. It is almost like the Carlton and Collingwood of what you would see at the Circus Maximus. I discovered that while the Romans frowned upon gambling if it involved a game of chance, they were quite accepting of gambling where it resulted from a level of skill. This was viewed far more favourably. It is interesting that chariot racing around the Circus Maximus was seen as the desired form of horseracing, as opposed to the less common horseriding which we would be familiar with, which was a smaller affair. But again, for a young fella in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 1970s, it was just – every half hour they would cross to the trots – absolutely fantastic. In the 1990s I do remember going to Moonee Valley and seeing the trots racing around. It was a thing of wonder, and it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I think what this bill does – I am pleased that the major parties recognise this important industry, recognise the support of this industry and recognise the fact that thousands of Victorians earn their livelihood in an industry that is a very good industry, despite the commentary from the member for Melbourne and the Greens political party – is provide the opportunity not only for that direct employment for those involved but for the way in which Melbourne comes to life.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I am an atheist, but I must say, if there is a heaven, it surely must be the Flemington straight. You go there in spring, and you have got the green grass in the members. Honestly, heaven would have to be spending the rest of your life gazing over the Flemington straight with the sun out – Melbourne in springtime, having a punt, getting on the P155 and just enjoying yourself. It is just a thing of beauty. I think that when you go out to Flemington in the Spring Racing Carnival, as an exercise in a form of leisure and entertainment, it is incredibly democratic. When you wander through the general area at Flemington, you see people from all walks of life. You see people who are passionate devotees of racing. You see people who are quite happy just to be able to bet on their one day of the year or couple of days of the year. You see people who are from all walks of life. I think that when you see the races like that, it is at its finest and at its best. It is something that I have always derived an enormous amount of satisfaction and joy from. You see Melbourne, this thriving metropolis, a modern-day Rome, at its finest during the Spring Racing Carnival. It is something where I think that we all – many of us, anyhow, who support the industry – recognise we are putting our best foot forward. You see the way in which people come down from Sydney; they want to see the Melbourne Cup. I must personally confess I am more of a fan of Derby Day. I think Derby Day is the finest day of racing on the calendar, and it is a thing of joy.

I have got to say, I have learned to discover the benefits of a quaddie. Anyone who has not done a quaddie, do yourselves a favour. You want to have a few runners in the different legs. You might want to anchor it with one or two. You have a low percentage but a wide field selection, and it is a bit of entertainment. I think that is a good thing. Shame on the Greens political party for being quite disrespectful towards the pastimes of the working class. I commend the bill to the house.

Business interrupted under sessional orders.