Jones Dail: Racing Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Jones Dail: Racing Bill — Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:606;Page:3953] 
DAIL JONES (NZ First) 
: 
 The member I am following talked about the history of this legislation. Of course despite his best efforts in the short amount of time available to him he was not able to refer to all the reports that have come forth with regard to this legislation—legislation that the Government suddenly wishes to rush through the House. 
There is yet another report which Mr Tisch was unable to refer to—and if I were to name the bill I would call it the “Racing (Many Reports Not Activated by the Labour Government) Bill”—and that is the report of the Racing Industry Working Group comprising Bill Falconer as the chairman Brian Beattie Tom Jamison Wendy Pye and Steve Thompson which has just come to hand. 
Members may even have received a submission today in their mail which indicates how rushed this legislation is. I have received one from United Fisheries Ltd. Would members believe that the consultant is one Hon Doug Kidd DCNZM LLB? There is life after Parliament even if it is as a consultant! My friend Doug Kidd is now a consultant on this legislation and clearly his submissions must— 
The CHAIRPERSON (H V Ross Robertson) 
: The member must talk to the title. 
DAIL JONES 
: I am saying that the title could be the “Racing (Many Submissions Not Activated by the Labour Government) Bill” and an example of that is the submissions we are now getting on the report of the Racing Industry Working Group. For New Zealand First I just say that if it has taken 33 years to get as far as this I think we can take another 2 months or so to have a look at the report of the working-group. 
Lindsay Tisch 
: Even another week. 
DAIL JONES 
: Even another week as the honourable Lindsay Tisch suggests. But we could take some further time. After all the Rt Hon Winston Peters when speaking on this bill on 10 October 2002 in relation to his request for time to consider this very report—and I am talking about how the bill should be titled—he made it very clear that a five-member committee had been working for some considerable time on the racing industry and had not yet made its recommendations. We are very grateful to the Government for accepting New Zealand First’s submission that the second reading should be delayed until the report from the working-group came through. The report has just become available and I think the Government should spend a little more time on it because in looking at this other report I see there are various indications as to how the board should be selected who should be selected whether the trots and the dogs should be included and who should be involved with it all— 
Hon Annette King 
: They are. 
DAIL JONES 
: They are but the question is that perhaps they should not be. After all this is a bill about the thoroughbred racing industry and the TAB. Why should the dogs be included? There is obviously disagreement between me and the Minister in the chair. The suggestion is that this matter should go to a select committee for the working-group’s report to be considered. As Lindsay Tisch indicated we have reports going back 33 years. What is another week so that full consideration can be given to this legislation which as I suggest should be entitled the “Racing (Many Reports on It) Bill”? 
I am speaking to one of the latest reports on the issue the report of the Racing Industry Working Group. If I am taking some time and labouring the point it is because of all the time that this issue has already taken. Last Thursday the Leader of the House the Hon Dr Michael Cullen indicated we would be considering the bill this week. Well there is hardly enough time to consider it. It affects the very many New Zealanders who are working in the industry. I think about 33000 New Zealanders work in it and there must be many hundreds of thousands of if not in excess of a million New Zealanders who involve themselves in the industry every weekend. Surely the House has enough time to put this bill aside for a few more days for a week so that a select committee could fully consider the working-group’s report rather than our rushing the bill through in the way that is finally being done today. I would like the Minister to take a call and tell me whether she has read the report of the Racing Industry Working Group. What are her comments on that report?