Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to explain to the House the importance of the Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 and associated bills to my electorate of Swan. I congratulate the members for Maranoa and Forrest and all the other speakers for their contributions. I also note the presence in the House of the member for Canning, who made a significant contribution to the racing industry in Australia during his time as a trainer. It is good to see you here. The high number of members who have spoken about the subject shows the importance of the racing industry and the horse industry and associated businesses in Australia. Today I will outline the importance of the horse industry to Swan and remind the House of the significant impact of equine influenza in Western Australia. I will review the coalition government’s response to last year’s crisis. In this context, I will consider the bill that is currently before the House and put forward three aspects of the legislation that must be urgently reconsidered by the Rudd government.

Ascot and Belmont Park, the two major racecourses in Western Australia, are in my electorate of Swan. Ascot is the headquarters for racing in Western Australia. Situated eight kilometres east of the Perth city centre, and with the head office of the Western Australian Turf Club positioned directly opposite, Ascot is located within the boundaries of the City of Belmont. This also happens to be the seat of the Deputy Premier of WA, who is also the WA Treasurer. We believe he has been seen at the racecourse recently—in the last month—and he has also been spotted in the electorate. It must be an election year! That’s right, the WA state election is on this weekend.

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