IT’S time the State Government gets serious about helping Queensland racing.
With a Racing Queensland board finally in place and a chief executive (Eliot Forbes) starting next month, Racing Minister Grace Grace must now ensure Government funds put aside for racing are finally released for a host of infrastructure projects in Queensland.
The industry is sick and tired of waiting and so they should be. The money is there to fund most of these projects but bureaucracy and a lack of care for racing from both sides of politics means several projects have been stalled for years.
The Gold Coast greyhound and harness racing clubs have been homeless since 2008 and 2013 respectively, the Gold Coast Turf Club track upgrade was set down for 2014 and a new Albion Park grandstand was first flagged back in 2008.
Then there’s the Ipswich Turf Club redevelopment which has been on the agenda for about eight years, yet none of these projects have even started. There are other projects in a similar position too.
With the next Queensland election not scheduled for more than 12 months, Grace must start acting now before all these projects are delayed even further due to red tape when election time comes around again.
Grace has done a lot right in her first eight months as Racing Minister but ultimately she will be judged upon by her ability, or inability, to get a host of overdue projects off the ground in the next 12-18 months. The clock is ticking Grace.
By Brad Davidson