Tasmanian Bills Fact Sheets Tasmanian Bills Fact Sheets[Index] [Search] [Download] [Bill] [Help]
FACT SHEET
RACING REGULATION AMENDMENT (RACE FIELDS) AMENDMENT BILL
2009
The purpose of this Bill is to incorporate legislative changes recommended by
the Solicitor-General to address deficiencies identified with the existing race
fields legislation as the result of a Court challenge to similar interstate
legislation.
The rationale for race fields legislation is to require wagering operators to pay
a fee for using racing events as a platform for their gambling services from
which they profit.
This income has been identified as a future funding source for the industry
which, it is envisaged, will help safeguard the industry's sustainability over the
longer term in an increasingly competitive market.
When Parliament passed race fields amending legislation in 2008, a decision
was made not to implement it immediately, in order to monitor developments
in other jurisdictions.
The national landscape with respect to race fields continues to evolve. The
past 12 months has seen the majority of States enacting legislation to either
introduce a race fields regime in their respective jurisdiction or amend their
existing legislation as a consequence of legal challenges.
It is with this in mind that the Government is planning to implement the race
fields legislation, but is signaling its intention to quarantine the income
generated from the publication of Tasmanian race field information until such
time that the active legal challenges have been adequately resolved.
It is proposed to implement the race fields regime, effective 1 July 2009.