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Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles
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Fenris
Oct 31, 2014, 1:24:41 PM10/31/14
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Good news for Australian greyhound racing.
http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-greyhound-
racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-battles/57559
Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles
Written By Bruce Teague
Read more: Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles Administration |
Greyhound Racing | Australian Greyhound Racing News, Tips, Betting, Box
Draws & Sales http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-
greyhound-racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-
battles/57559#ixzz3HkCfTUOU
Australian Racing Greyhound - Australia's #1 greyhound racing resource
Follow us: @GreyhoundRacing on Twitter | AustralianGreyhoundRacing on
Facebook
There is little doubt that the NSW parliamentary Inquiry has produced
terrific results for greyhound racing Several battles have been won
although the war has some way to go yet.
On the way, Inquiry chairman Robert Borsak from the Shooters party has
done a fine job of unearthing many of the facts, helped by all but one
of the other six members of the committee from Liberal, National and
Labour parties.
The exception has been Dr John Kaye (Greens), who instigated the whole
process. He has been a dead loss. His extremist views, supported by
demonstrators from tiny splinter groups carrying carefully prepared
placards telling lies (eg Don?t Use Taxes to Support Greyhound Racing),
from a biased reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald, and from the
ABC?s 7:30 Report, have been emphatically quashed by the majority.
Kaye produced dissenting comments on the first report ? views which were
duly featured in a helpful Sydney Morning Herald, which might be better
known as the Green-Left Daily these days. Then he proposed a string of
amendments to the just-published second report, all designed to make
life near impossible for greyhound participants. Every one was thrown
out by a 6:1 vote.
The objective of Kaye and like-minded people is not to improve greyhound
racing but to shut it down completely. Happily, no-one bought that theme
? certainly not the NSW government which has broadly supported the
committee?s conclusions in its formal ?Response? to the reports.
Whatever ends up happening, this Inquiry has undoubtedly established a
pro-forma approach to the subject and might well lead to improvements in
other states and even in other codes. It also provides a stark lesson to
media outlets which try to launch tirades based on biased, unproven or
limited evidence ? all in conflict with journalistic ethics.
To be sure, many of the recommendations are to do withanimal welfare/a>
and related matters where authorities and clubs need to smarten up. Some
work has already been done in that area and the government has assured
us it will continue to oversee progress and check on reports demanded
from management.
So, where are we now?
Well, the three key conclusions and recommendations ? accepted but not
formally ruled on by government ? are now being thrashed out in detail.
(1) Racing authorities should have the power to adjust racefield fees to
a level they consider suitable.
(2) NSW tax rates should be made more competitive with other states ? ie
reduced.
(3) In Borsak?s words, ?I strongly reiterate the importance of a
restructure of the board and management of Greyhound Racing NSW?.
Added to which is the proposal to hive off $100 million immediately to
distribute amongst the three codes in undecided proportions. But don?t
count your chickens yet.
Items (1) and (2) should get a run in some form. The huge difference in
tax rates between NSW and all other states is simply bad policy because
it means NSW is deliberately pushing business away to other
jurisdictions for no good reason. It is killing the goose that laid the
golden egg.
It not only poses a cash problem but weakens the ability of the racing
codes to prosper in the long run. The issue has been highlighted by the
recent agreement signed byQueensland Racingand Tattsbet, cutting the tax
rate to 0.83% (from 1.83%), thereby generating a $30 million boost to
prize money. Currently, NSW charges 3.22%, Victoria 1.28%.
Item (3) is equally important. Much of the attention has gone to two
areas: poor communication between management and participants, and the
ineffective operation of the Integrity Auditor job. The new proposal is
that the Auditor function should be totally removed from GRNSW control
and made fully independent. It may or may not be linked to similar
changes to the harness code. Government is also considering whether
appeals to ICAC should be possible.
Yet Borsak?s words suggest much more than all that. The government and
the Inquiry have not done much more than talk about adding two more
members to the board, representing or appointed by participants ? ie
mainly trainers. That is hardly a ?restructure? and it suggests a
leaning towards the bad old days when the call was always for ?more dog
men on the board?.
That sort of stuff has been proven to be ineffective in the past and is
even less likely to work now. It runs counter to normal commercial
practice and to the trend in all other states except Queensland. If
communication is poor that is a failure of the personnel, not of the
structure of the board. Even in Queensland the peculiar four-board set
up, all staffed by insiders, has shown nothing in its several months of
existence that offers any hope of progress ? rather the opposite. In
fact, the greyhound chairman has barely been heard at all while the
overriding RQ chairman, Bob Dixon, talks and talks but does little.
In any event, going down this road would undoubtedly produce one big
problem ? a good proportion of the work force will dislike the appointed
person, or disagree with what he does. Back to square one.
But none of this recognises the racing industry?s key weakness ? it is
run at authority and club level by committees. All of which reminds us
that the camel was a horse designed by a committee. It?s the lowest
common denominator effect. That?s the structure that needs to change.
1950s practices have no hope of working in this century, if indeed they
ever did.
What the industry has failed to acknowledge is that the system of
management by committee, supported by bureaucrats, is suited only to
slow action, a lack of innovation and the absence of accountability.
Process dominates outcomes. That?sadministration not management.
Read more: Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles Administration |
Greyhound Racing | Australian Greyhound Racing News, Tips, Betting, Box
Draws & Sales http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-
greyhound-racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-
battles/57559#ixzz3HkCQzJ8O
Australian Racing Greyhound - Australia's #1 greyhound racing resource
Follow us: @GreyhoundRacing on Twitter | AustralianGreyhoundRacing on
Facebook
--
Fenris
The SHG - for RSPCA Problems
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-SHG-for-Rspca-
problems/160932313980830
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http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-greyhound-
racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-battles/57559
Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles
Written By Bruce Teague
Read more: Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles Administration |
Greyhound Racing | Australian Greyhound Racing News, Tips, Betting, Box
Draws & Sales http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-
greyhound-racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-
battles/57559#ixzz3HkCfTUOU
Australian Racing Greyhound - Australia's #1 greyhound racing resource
Follow us: @GreyhoundRacing on Twitter | AustralianGreyhoundRacing on
There is little doubt that the NSW parliamentary Inquiry has produced
terrific results for greyhound racing Several battles have been won
although the war has some way to go yet.
On the way, Inquiry chairman Robert Borsak from the Shooters party has
done a fine job of unearthing many of the facts, helped by all but one
of the other six members of the committee from Liberal, National and
Labour parties.
The exception has been Dr John Kaye (Greens), who instigated the whole
process. He has been a dead loss. His extremist views, supported by
demonstrators from tiny splinter groups carrying carefully prepared
placards telling lies (eg Don?t Use Taxes to Support Greyhound Racing),
from a biased reporter from the Sydney Morning Herald, and from the
ABC?s 7:30 Report, have been emphatically quashed by the majority.
Kaye produced dissenting comments on the first report ? views which were
duly featured in a helpful Sydney Morning Herald, which might be better
known as the Green-Left Daily these days. Then he proposed a string of
amendments to the just-published second report, all designed to make
life near impossible for greyhound participants. Every one was thrown
out by a 6:1 vote.
The objective of Kaye and like-minded people is not to improve greyhound
racing but to shut it down completely. Happily, no-one bought that theme
? certainly not the NSW government which has broadly supported the
committee?s conclusions in its formal ?Response? to the reports.
Whatever ends up happening, this Inquiry has undoubtedly established a
pro-forma approach to the subject and might well lead to improvements in
other states and even in other codes. It also provides a stark lesson to
media outlets which try to launch tirades based on biased, unproven or
limited evidence ? all in conflict with journalistic ethics.
To be sure, many of the recommendations are to do withanimal welfare/a>
and related matters where authorities and clubs need to smarten up. Some
work has already been done in that area and the government has assured
us it will continue to oversee progress and check on reports demanded
from management.
So, where are we now?
Well, the three key conclusions and recommendations ? accepted but not
formally ruled on by government ? are now being thrashed out in detail.
(1) Racing authorities should have the power to adjust racefield fees to
a level they consider suitable.
(2) NSW tax rates should be made more competitive with other states ? ie
reduced.
(3) In Borsak?s words, ?I strongly reiterate the importance of a
restructure of the board and management of Greyhound Racing NSW?.
Added to which is the proposal to hive off $100 million immediately to
distribute amongst the three codes in undecided proportions. But don?t
count your chickens yet.
Items (1) and (2) should get a run in some form. The huge difference in
tax rates between NSW and all other states is simply bad policy because
it means NSW is deliberately pushing business away to other
jurisdictions for no good reason. It is killing the goose that laid the
golden egg.
It not only poses a cash problem but weakens the ability of the racing
codes to prosper in the long run. The issue has been highlighted by the
recent agreement signed byQueensland Racingand Tattsbet, cutting the tax
rate to 0.83% (from 1.83%), thereby generating a $30 million boost to
prize money. Currently, NSW charges 3.22%, Victoria 1.28%.
Item (3) is equally important. Much of the attention has gone to two
areas: poor communication between management and participants, and the
ineffective operation of the Integrity Auditor job. The new proposal is
that the Auditor function should be totally removed from GRNSW control
and made fully independent. It may or may not be linked to similar
changes to the harness code. Government is also considering whether
appeals to ICAC should be possible.
Yet Borsak?s words suggest much more than all that. The government and
the Inquiry have not done much more than talk about adding two more
members to the board, representing or appointed by participants ? ie
mainly trainers. That is hardly a ?restructure? and it suggests a
leaning towards the bad old days when the call was always for ?more dog
men on the board?.
That sort of stuff has been proven to be ineffective in the past and is
even less likely to work now. It runs counter to normal commercial
practice and to the trend in all other states except Queensland. If
communication is poor that is a failure of the personnel, not of the
structure of the board. Even in Queensland the peculiar four-board set
up, all staffed by insiders, has shown nothing in its several months of
existence that offers any hope of progress ? rather the opposite. In
fact, the greyhound chairman has barely been heard at all while the
overriding RQ chairman, Bob Dixon, talks and talks but does little.
In any event, going down this road would undoubtedly produce one big
problem ? a good proportion of the work force will dislike the appointed
person, or disagree with what he does. Back to square one.
But none of this recognises the racing industry?s key weakness ? it is
run at authority and club level by committees. All of which reminds us
that the camel was a horse designed by a committee. It?s the lowest
common denominator effect. That?s the structure that needs to change.
1950s practices have no hope of working in this century, if indeed they
ever did.
What the industry has failed to acknowledge is that the system of
management by committee, supported by bureaucrats, is suited only to
slow action, a lack of innovation and the absence of accountability.
Process dominates outcomes. That?sadministration not management.
Read more: Greyhound Racing Wins A Few Battles Administration |
Greyhound Racing | Australian Greyhound Racing News, Tips, Betting, Box
Draws & Sales http://www.australianracinggreyhound.com/australian-
greyhound-racing/administration/greyhound-racing-wins-a-few-
battles/57559#ixzz3HkCQzJ8O
Australian Racing Greyhound - Australia's #1 greyhound racing resource
Follow us: @GreyhoundRacing on Twitter | AustralianGreyhoundRacing on
--
Fenris
The SHG - for RSPCA Problems
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-SHG-for-Rspca-
problems/160932313980830
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