Parliament House in Canberra, and specifically the office of the Speaker, the Hon. Milton Duke, played host on Monday evening to a swell of politicians and racing participants in a vital, bi-partisan show of industry support.
The gathering was hosted by Thoroughbred Breeders Australia (TBA) and the Parliamentary Friends of Primary Producers, and it was the first such event since the COVID-19 pandemic. TBA had previously organised similar events dating back to 2016.
The Speaker’s office entertained more than 40 politicians, from Members of Parliament to Senators from across all political leanings, each of them mingling with racing and breeding industry figures that included Antony Thompson and Peter Moody, both of whom addressed the room, as well as Arthur Inglis, Olly Tait, Basil Nolan, Stuart Lamont, Sam Fairgray and Sam Pritchard-Gordon, among many others.
The point of the exercise was to give the industry an opportunity for relations with policy makers, and the reception was good. From Nationals leader David Littleproud to the Minister for Agriculture, Murray Watt, ears were open and conversation lively.
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia CEO Tom Reilly and Minister for the NDIS and Government Services Bill Shorten | Image courtesy of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
Tom Reilly, TBA’s chief executive said the opportunity for the racing industry to have its presence felt at the site of national government was important, even vital.
“There are a huge number of areas in our industry where we need the Federal Government,” he said, speaking to The Thoroughbred Report. “It could be around visas, which is always an ongoing issue, or bio-security or quarantine. There are trade implications, and only recently we got trade up and going again with China, which is obviously very good for the vendors at next week’s 2-year-old sale.
“There are all these different areas where our industry meets the Federal Government, and we’ve got an interesting industry because we’re not typically agriculture. We’re not raising horses, for example, to send them to an abattoir, so we’re a bit more complicated than a lot of the other agricultural sectors.”
“There are all these different areas where our industry meets the Federal Government, and we’ve got an interesting industry because we’re not typically agriculture... we’re a bit more complicated than a lot of the other agricultural sectors.” - Tom Reilly
TBA travelled to Canberra with an arsenal of facts in its back pocket. It represents 4500 individual breeders around the country and is the parent company of the six state-based breeders’ associations. The thoroughbred industry, woven from both racing and breeding interests, is responsible for $1.48 billion worth of economic contribution, not to mention the 11,500 people in full-time industry work.
These were facts that Monday’s event was at-the-ready to impart, and politicians were listening.
“The very first of these meetings, which was in 2016, was a way of educating people in parliament about the breeding industry, and the thoroughbred industry more broadly,” Reilly said. “They’re a great opportunity to speak to parliament, to engage and to develop a better understanding within parliament of our industry and its issues.
“But it’s also a great opportunity to build relationships within parliament too. Politics is all about relationships.”
“They’re (these meetings) a great opportunity to speak to parliament, to engage and to develop a better understanding within parliament of our industry and its issues.” - Tom Reilly
When last these events occurred pre-COVID, the Liberal-National government was in power and there was more confirmed support for the industry among politicians, so it was a different climate to return to in 2023. However, by all accounts, the reception to the industry this week was decidedly bi-partisan, with all political divides welcoming the TBA and its guests.
The key areas that were pressed upon parliamentarians were regional employment in thoroughbred breeding, the international investment in the industry (by the likes of Yulong), and the importance of foreign workers when it came to visa particulars, as well as things like wagering reforms and access to primary producer emergency grants.
The wagering reforms issue was one particularly motivating for Reilly, who is concerned about the impact of proposed reforms like a total ban on gambling advertising and the removal of inducements like bonus bets.
In the TBA’s opinion, revenue could drop very significantly in the first year of these inducements being removed. Such is the significance of this issue, Reilly has visited Canberra on three occasions in the past couple of months, meeting ministers, MPs and department officials.
Arthur Inglis, James O’Brien, CEO Australian Trainers Association Andrew Nicholl and Leader of the National Party David Littleproud | Image courtesy of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
However, largely Monday night’s event was conducted without a particular agenda or hot topic, which is ideal for promoting relationships.
“Building networks is always best when you haven’t got a pressing issue,” Reilly said. “You want to build relationships without having to ask for help or needing something. I think that’s really important.”
We hear you
The organisers of Monday's event were Labor Member Meryl Swanson, whose electorate includes the districts north of Newcastle and the Lower Hunter Valley, and Nola Marino, who represents the Forrest electorate in Western Australia and who, along with her husband, is a hobby breeder and owner.
Co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of Primary Producers, Nola Marino MP (left) and Meryl Swanson MP (right), pictured with champion trainer Peter Moody (centre) | Image courtesy of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
The Speaker, Milton Dick, enjoys his racing, while MP Bill Shorten, who was also present, finds both Moonee Valley and Flemington racecourses in his Maribyrnong electorate. Murray Watt has an office on the Gold Coast, and Liberal Member Dan Tehan, also in attendance, had a share at one point in the million-dollar jumper Wells (Galileo {Ire}).
In other words, there were few politicians in attendance on Monday who hadn’t been touched by racing at one time or another.
It’s key to the success of events like these that the politicians in attendance carry enough clout to make an industry difference, but also that there are enough of them in the room.
Wells, earner of $1.3 million in prizemoney | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“We had the Minister for Agriculture come along, and he spoke,” Reilly said. “We had the Trade Minister there, and Bill Shorten was there. They were just three of the very senior members of government who came, and we had a lot of other prominent people from the opposition, like David Littleproud. Having that level of bi-partisanship was really encouraging.”
Murray Watt, the Agriculture Minister, said the Albanese government was committed to the thoroughbred industry and he referenced his meetings with TBA.
“There’s a lot of collaboration going on between our government here and the industry, and I look forward to continuing to do that in the future,” he said. “It (Monday’s event) is a really important opportunity for us all to celebrate this important industry, and I guess I just want to convey to you the support from the Albanese government.”
“It (Monday’s event) is a really important opportunity for us all to celebrate this important industry, and I guess I just want to convey to you the support from the Albanese government.” - Murray Watt
Nationals leader David Littleproud didn’t mince his words in reminding the room of its significance.
“To each and every one of you, please don’t underestimate the role and the significance that you play in regional and rural Australia, and that you play for this nation,” he said. “The thoroughbred industry is so important, from the city to the bush. It plays not just a financial one and an economic one in jobs, but it’s our outlet, an outlet for so many Australians to come together.”
We’re all part of the same eco-system
Stuart Lamont and Olly Tait were both in Canberra on Monday for the TBA event. Both had been to a pre-COVID event like this, and both concluded that this year’s edition was a superb revival.
It’s been less than two years since Lamont stepped aside as the president of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW (TBNSW), replaced by Hamish Esplin, but his administrative hat was well-worn on Monday night because he is also the recently retired master of Kooringal Stud, now run by his sons Angus and Richie.
“It was an excellent get-together,” Lamont said, speaking to The Thoroughbred Report. “It is so important that we can inform Canberra what the thoroughbred industry can achieve for governments, and for people in general. Obviously, racing is a very social sport and it’s the fabric of so many outlying areas.
“I guess in that regard, especially for a lot of those politicians that have country-based constituents, it’s really important that race meetings go ahead and the industry remains viable.”
“It was an excellent get-together. It is so important that we can inform Canberra what the thoroughbred industry can achieve for governments, and for people in general.” - Stuart Lamont
Lamont said that in regional areas, racing is a social outlet and a source of work. These are fundamentals that are often overlooked by city-based decision makers, so the opportunity to remind politicians of that in Canberra, with a well-meaning, non-agenda-driven event, was important. He also said the political heads who came along was an impressive line-up.
“It was a great roll-out,” Lamont said. “Full marks to Tom and the TBA team who got it all together. It is the sort of thing we need to keep doing, and it’s the sort of thing that other industries are doing. They are there informing politicians of their particular industry, and we need to be there too.”
Stuart Lamont and Michael McCormack MP | Image courtesy of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
For Olly Tait, the studmaster of Twin Hills in country Cootamundra, the opportunity to engage with government this week was a positive one.
“It’s good for an industry like ours to have a presence in front of people that make decisions relevant to it,” he said, speaking to The Thoroughbred Report. “The minsters for agriculture and trade were there, and a lot of other parliamentarians. That can only be a positive for the industry. The messages that were given were very relevant and pointed and, therefore, listened to.”
“It’s good for an industry like ours to have a presence in front of people that make decisions relevant to it.” - Olly Tait
According to Tait, the constant presence of events like these will have positive effects over time. Networking, they say, is one of the critical elements of getting ahead and the effects of it can’t often be measured right away. Tait was present as a breeder on Monday night, but that didn’t exclude him from seeing the bigger picture.
“We’re all part of the same eco-system,” he said. “What’s good for the sales company will be good for the breeder, which will be good for the horse trainer and so on.
“Essentially, we’re pointing out to the government what the industry is about and what we represent. We’re great economic contributors, we’re great cultural contributors and we’re great contributors in terms of staff and employment. Through those things, there will be other avenues that hopefully can be addressed, like the training of staff or immigration.”
“We’re (the industry) great economic contributors, we’re great cultural contributors and we’re great contributors in terms of staff and employment.” - Olly Tait
Lamont mentioned this also, the ever-present issue of staff shortages. It seems that immigration plays a huge part in this conversation, so if the Department of Home Affairs is aware of this, it’s a step forward.
“A particular issue for us at Twin Hills would be that we have a good pipeline of staff available to us, and that we can point that out to people who have influence in those decisions in government,” Tait said.
Olly Tait | Image courtesy of Twin Hills Stud
“I thought that the people who spoke on the night (Antony Thompson, Tom Reilly and Peter Moody) did a great job in summarising what some of the issues facing the industry are, and also the benefits of the industry. It was heartening to hear very supportive words from the Minister for Agriculture, for example, as well as other politicians that spoke.”
A voice to parliament
For TBA events like Monday’s, there are months of planning involved, and it was no casual feat of Reilly and his team to assemble the room that they did.
“It’s absolutely vital that our industry is talking to parliament about what we do,” Reilly said. “If you listen to Peter Moody talk about his love of the horse, where it came from and how it drives him, it makes an impression on people. We need to keep doing that because, as an industry, I don’t think we do a good enough job of speaking to people.”
“It’s absolutely vital that our industry is talking to parliament about what we do... We need to keep doing that because, as an industry, I don’t think we do a good enough job of speaking to people.” - Tom Reilly
It’s a relevant discussion as to why these events aren’t being driven by others in the industry, such as Racing Australia or the Principal Racing Authorities (PRAs). The fractiousness between the PRAs, namely recent litigation, isn't helping.
It's fair to comment that the PRA motivations are state-based, and they are effective in that respect, but what about co-operation for the greater national good?
“I think it is impossible for Racing Australia to step up and be the advocate for the thoroughbred industry given the lack of a collaborative relationship between the states,” Reilly said. “It is disappointing there’s not a more effective working relationship because on issues like wagering reform, government needs to hear a united voice from the industry.”
Meryl Swanson, the Member for Paterson and a co-convenor of Monday’s event (alongside Nola Marino), acknowledged how vital it was that the thoroughbred industry continued to advocate at a Canberra level.
“Keep doing what you’re doing,” she said. “Keep representing the industry as brilliantly as you do, and onward and upward for thoroughbred breeding and racing in Australia.”
