Racing Queensland - Harness Racing to lose $5 million?

[Triple V]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt73_ZqjxwY/TwTul7xyzUI/AAAAAAAADxA/QU3lZRMWn3I/s1600/wolf%255B1%255D.jpg

Anyone still believe that they have the best interests of Harness Racing at heart? Anyone...? C'mon...don't be shy. Speak up now.

[Starship Captain]

The harness racing in QLD has always done it tough IMO nothing like a good kick to the head. Have you been following the Ontario cut back's? If they do take the slot's money away without replacing it from another avenue the now great racing/breeding industry in ONT will go backward's 20 years. Good bye OSS, NAC, they are saying that it could take effect as early as March 2013 with this announcement is it possible that breeder's in ONT do not breed their mares? I think that this has happened already and it will only get worse during this season and come 2013 it will very quiet around the stud farm's expecially with the lower quality stallions that will be left standing in ONT.

[Danno]

Say you have two competing used car lots, one selling red cars, the other selling blue cars.
You tell the two operators selling the cars that you are going to amalgamate the resources of the two caryards.

You tell the red car yard operator he can have control of the amalgamation but any profits from the blue car yard stay with that operator and the red car seller can only have the profits of the red car yard.

Therefore the red car salesman has responsibility for the total operation but only profits from his own yard.

If you were the operator of the red car yard, would you not ensure your business was the best run and promoted of the two?
Where would be the incentive to promote the blue car yard? Would you not consider closing down the blue car yard so you can sell more red cars??

You have, in effect handed one business owner the shotgun and the shells to dispose of his competition.

How this has been allowed to occurr is beyond my comprehension, only a Government could get away with this, in the private sphere the ACCC would be all over it like a rash.

[Big Max]

all we here about is that we generate 9% but we take 14%, how on God's earth can we generate more revenue if we aren't allowed to have anymore TAB meetings,lets remember that our monday TAB meetings were taken away and in turn we were given non TAB meetings at Redcliffe and Marburg that generate zip return and this is after Rocklea was closed because (and this is brilliant) we couldn't afford to have non TAB meetings.

The easiest thing in the world to do is to cut and keep cutting,the hard thing is actually finding ways to increase our revenue with ideas and plans but certainly non are forth coming and please let's not bring up the sale of Albion park because anyone that knows anything about that part of Brisbane knows damn well that it goes under water with heavy rain and high tides so the figure's that were thrown around by our forward thinking administration about what they could get for it is just laughable.

Squeeze squeeze squeeze and hopefully we will all go away.

[Triple V]

G'day Rosario,
What really gets to me is that Racing QLD's brief was to foster all 3 codes, not to progressively canibalise one or two of them for the sole benefit of a third. Dan is right on the money. Only a Government could get away with it. Private Enterprise would long ago have been hung, drawn and quartered for that sort of carry on.
I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. They started off by pulling a late night swifty in order to get the legislation through the QLD Parliament. Everything post that infamous deed has been in keeping with that approach. Smoke & Mirrors and slight of hand. Absolutely disgraceful. Tar & Feather them and run them out of town. Enough is enough.

[strong persuader]

Here is an article pertaining to this situation. http://www.justracing.com.au/index.php?news_page=1&artid=3994&catid=5
I think it contains some food for thought, now we need to think about what actions may be needed. :)

[Danno]

Here is an article pertaining to this situation. http://www.justracing.com.au/index.php?news_page=1&artid=3994&catid=5
I think it contains some food for thought, now we need to think about what actions may be needed. :)

Phil, I must be doing something wrong mate, when I click on the link all I get is a "home Page' and can't find a link to the story. Any clues appreciated.
Cheers,
Dan

[geoffkel]

You can not say that Harness Racing should only get the % they turnover.

The only way that this could be calculated fairly is when all codes have the same amount of meetings which will not happen.

[strong persuader]

Phil, I must be doing something wrong mate, when I click on the link all I get is a "home Page' and can't find a link to the story. Any clues appreciated.
Cheers,
Dan
Sorry, I didn't check the link myself. But if you click on home on that page, scroll to the bottom, then click on the story for the 14/3/12 - IF THE AUSTRALIAN PACING GOLD SALE IN BRISBANE LAST SUNDAY IS ANY BAROMETER, RACING IN THE LONG TERM IS "STUFFED".
Someone more techno than me may be able to get up a direct link to the page, but I cannot. :(

[Triple V]

The really interesting aspect to all this for mine is that AWU National President Bill Ludwig is also a member of the RQLD Board......and that by word and deed it is becoming pretty clear RQLD are running the grave risk of causing a fairly sizeable number of AWU Members to join the unemployment line. One is of course left to wonder exactly how Mr. Ludwig will go about explaining those job losses to his bretheren? :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

[Danno]

Sorry, I didn't check the link myself. But if you click on home on that page, scroll to the bottom, then click on the story for the 14/3/12 - IF THE AUSTRALIAN PACING GOLD SALE IN BRISBANE LAST SUNDAY IS ANY BAROMETER, RACING IN THE LONG TERM IS "STUFFED".
Someone more techno than me may be able to get up a direct link to the page, but I cannot. :(

Thanks Phil got that, and can I also say the article echos my own sentiments in a number of aspects not least of which is marketing, which we do so poorly it is bloody criminal! The "seed sowing " line is so basic that children get it but a succession of administrators in our game have ignored this in favour of the easier option of shrinking the industry to make it more viable in the short term.
Another aspect of the "seed sowing" that people have been disregarding ( probably due to an emphasis on snaring punters) is that without participants the game dies...no owners = no breeders = no trainers = no racing = nothing to punt on!
you don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to work out that in any sort of order the punters DO NOT come first, they ARE important in funding prizemoney, but I've said a few times on this forum, without the owners supplying the horses...there is bugger all to punt on, as far as racing goes.

I think the article certainly fairly accurately outlines our problems, the hard part is getting our administators to embrace the idea that we need to get back to grass roots in some ways and develop effective new marketing if this game is going to survive long term, and it may be that some short term losses need to be incurred in order to facilitate that.

cheers,

Dan