Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week Queensland Racing released a redevelopment proposal for a Brisbane racing precinct located in the Lilley electorate. It involves the closure of the Doomben racecourse and the redevelopment and upgrading of the adjoining Eagle Farm racecourse. It requires the amalgamation of the Brisbane Turf Club and the Queensland Turf Club. This is not the first time that a proposal has been made to restructure racing in Brisbane. Working with our local community some years ago, I was able to help stop a similar proposal to close down both tracks and relocate racing to an area between Brisbane and Ipswich.

The latest proposal results from the breakdown in amalgamation and related discussions between the two race clubs and the rejection by Queensland Racing of an $8 million upgrade for the QTC. The main concern I have with regard to the proposal is that it now must be subjected to genuine and extensive community and stakeholder consultation. The Doomben course is owned by the 2,000 members of the BTC. The wishes of the members of the club, a significant number of whom live in Lilley, must get proper consideration. The trainers, stable staff, jockeys and racecourse workers who live in the suburbs around the tracks need to be consulted as well. But the most important group that must have a genuine say is the local community—the families who live principally to the north and south of Doomben.

The intention is to close down Doomben and sell the very valuable land on which it is located for commercial or residential development, with the proceeds to fund the Eagle Farm upgrade. The latest proposal inevitably means intensive residential or commercial redevelopment that would impact on the local community. The views of residents must be taken into account. Any redevelopment must not just be about raising the money needed to fund the upgrading of Eagle Farm. It is important that the balance be right—the balance between the need to fund the redevelopment and the need to meet the wishes of local residents. This can only be done through an extensive and genuine consultation process. It needs to be overseen not just by Queensland Racing but by the Queensland government.

The Liberal Mayor of Brisbane believes Doomben should be converted to parkland and open space. There will be strong community support for a substantial part of the area to be parkland or open space, as well as for affordable housing, if the proposal goes ahead. That view must not be ignored. The racing industry is a major contributor to employment and economic activity in Lilley; it is a major part of the Brisbane and Queensland economies. The proposal would undoubtedly strengthen the racing industry’s long-term viability.

Apart from the need for consultation, my main concern about the proposal is that it must not be accompanied by threats by Queensland Racing to simply take away Doomben race dates if members reject it. By doing so, it would be forcing the closure of a major racetrack and one of the few in Australia actually owned by the membership. The proposal by Queensland Racing deserves proper consideration and evaluation by all stakeholders and by the racing industry and the local community in particular. We must ensure that happens. It is vital that Queensland Racing, the Queensland government and the race clubs concerned ensure that all stakeholders are fully involved in the consultation process that must take place now that Queensland Racing has shown its hand.