Jones Dail: Racing Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Jones Dail: Racing Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3958] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 We heard some very fine words from the Minister when she spoke. She made a gripping speech that indicated her strong knowledge of all the legislation but she did not answer the question that Lindsay Tisch and I put to her earlier. That question is: what is she doing about the report of the racing industry working group? Is she telling us that it was all a waste of time and that the Government has no intention of adopting it? Is it the Government’s view that the PricewaterhouseCoopers report is purely an internal matter and that the report of the racing industry working group is also an internal matter? Does the Government have no intention of taking any notice of either report? I am sure that that is totally contrary to all the ways in which we operate in this country. 
The bill was delayed while a five-member working group was considering the matter. I am sure that everyone in the group and all those who made submissions to it would have been under the impression—which we now take it was a mistaken impression—that the Government was going to take some notice of their report. It now appears that this minority Labour Government has no interest in the views of the people in the racing industry and will just put this bill through as it was reported back from the select committee with a few minor alterations here and there and without any regard for the views of the racing industry working group. There is another view. Perhaps the Government has totally forgotten about the racing industry working group. Perhaps the Government was short of work this week and perhaps Government members thought they would just bang the Racing Bill in get it through and keep Parliament going for a little while in order to spare them the embarrassment of adjourning Parliament early tonight because they do not have much to do. Perhaps the Government thought it would just fill in the time with the Racing Bill and that a few members might just keep things going. That is hardly the way to run a democracy. 
I note the submission from the Hon Doug Kidd which refers to the first part of the bill and the way in which it was changed. In paragraph 16 of his submission he states that even without the benefit of the two reports now to hand the select committee clearly had a sense of the need to refocus for the future when with a small but critical amendment it changed the first objective of the New Zealand Racing Board from “promote the sport of racing” to “promote the racing industry.” 
It then sought to emphasise and underline the enormously important change of adding new clause 9(1)(aa) and the significant new provisions of clauses 18A and 20A relating to business plans. That is really what the PricewaterhouseCoopers report is all about. The report of the racing industry working group is also a reflection of the PricewaterhouseCoopers report. Reference is made to the fact that we are dealing with the racing industry and that its views should be taken into account by the Government. 
I conclude with one simple question. Is the Minister saying she will take no notice of the report of the racing industry working group and that all those people who have made submissions are just wasting their time?