Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure as a National Party senator to rise and talk about exactly what our government is delivering for regional communities, including those in the state of Queensland. But tonight I want to mention a significant event that took place at the Wangaratta Turf Club last week, an event that was significant for regional racing and the racing industry right across Australia—but more about that shortly.

As anyone who follows the sport of kings knows, the thoroughbred racing industry generates nearly $2.1 billion in value to my state's economy. It sustains employment of more 19½ thousand full-time equivalent jobs and provides $1.1 billion a year in household income. Australia-wide, including the many fine regional tracks, there are an estimated 184,000 starters in races every year. There are 371 Australian racing clubs, and more than 4.5 million people attend the races each year. Racing contributes more than $5 billion in value-added dollars, and provides 49,000 full-time jobs, raising $610 million in taxes for state governments and $560 million in federal taxes. On the world racing stage, Australia is ranked second to the United States, ahead of Japan, Great Britain and France. We are also in second spot to the US for the number of foals born, ahead of any country that takes this sport seriously.

In Victoria, racing has a deep connection with our regional communities. Financially, racing clubs assist hundreds of community organisations and charities, and let's not forget the volunteers. Like any great sporting club, race clubs throughout regional Victoria allow for over 2,000 people volunteering their time and services to racing, just to see racing flourish in our regional communities. Racing also provides education and training facilities, which brings me back to the Wangaratta event last week. The event was an announcement that I was delighted to make, an announcement that has been a long time coming, having first been briefed on the project by the Wangaratta Turf Club in 2012. It is a great shot in the arm for regional racing and the Wangaratta Turf Club. The announcement was a $2.4 million grant through the coalition's Building Better Regions Fund.

At this point, I want to acknowledge the tremendous work of a range of volunteers for the Wangaratta Turf Club, particularly the CEO, Paul Hoysted, who assisted to bring this project to fruition. The club is developing a $6.2 million stage 2 development upgrade, which will have significant benefits for regional growth for the equine industry—a boost that will bring local jobs and training to reduce skill shortages in racing by ensuring we have a 20-bed accommodation facility right there in Wangaratta, new stables, and the development of a multipurpose grandstand function and equine learning centre.

There is currently a critical skill shortage in the racing industry. I applaud the Wangaratta Turf Club for putting a pilot program together as part of an education scheme to train more industry staff, including track riders and stablehands, an Australian first for the club. I understand the club is also investigating education for international students in the near future. If you are listening from the Hong Kong Jockey Club, have I got a deal for you. Right in the heart of regional Victoria, we have the beautiful town of Wangaratta, where you can have a world-class equine education and participate in many events right around the region.

Because of the new work, it is expected that 13,000 more people will attend the racecourse. You just know the flow-on benefits to tourism, the overnight stays in our hotels and the retail opportunities that that will bring to a community like Wangaratta. An estimated $6.2 million will be spent on construction, the majority in the local economy. This is a fantastic aspect of the Building Better Regions Fund—local contractors will be employing local tradies, training up local apprentices and giving them the type of opportunity for construction work in the local and regional communities that will build and develop their skills. That money will come straight back to our community, rather than, as often we see, what happens with some of the larger projects being delivered to contractors outside the region and the money ending up somewhere else.

As a government, we are backing our regional communities' entrepreneurial spirit and their economic growth and development through the Building Better Regions Fund. I am very excited about the Wangaratta Turf Club project. I am looking forward to attending many race carnivals there and, indeed, larger community events through the development of the grandstand and the opportunities. I know that this community and this turf club back themselves and know that they have got a great product there not just to sell locally so we can all go to the country races but also to get many of the domestic tourists from Sydney and Melbourne to take that drive out, and taste some of that beautiful prosecco along the King Valley, only about 20 minutes outside of Wangaratta, and come to town for a day at the races, stay the night, do some shopping or visit some friends the next day, and then head home. So, congratulations, Wangaratta Turf Club. I invite you all there, and I am looking forward to the upcoming racing season.