Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Shame on Iemma

News today that, despite the equine influenza that is crippling the NSW racing industry, the Iemma Goverment has pressured the DPI into letting people enter Randwick and undertake some preliminary works for the World Youth Day festival next year.
This is the festival that shouldn't be at Randwick but the Government doesn't seem to care about that. It seems the livelihood of tens of thousands of taxpayers aren't as important as a visit from the Pope for a few days.
This is the same DPI that busted a trainer for driving an unauthorised track across a racecourse and a jockey who wanted to use the same skull cap and vest he used in a different state the week before.
Double standards anyone?
Aside from the shocking disregard for the quarantine status of Randwick, and the potential for the spread of EI by allowing outsiders into the restricted area, the Government has really shown it doesn't care about racing, despite the millions of dollars in generates.
To them it's a cash cow they'll milk for everything but sell out if it means a quick buck.
Among all of this, the new racing minister Graeme West has gone missing. He was hailed as the savious of the racing portfolio but has disappeared just when his division needs leadership and someone to stand up for the people.
Fortunately racing has great leadership in Racing NSW but they're fighting an uphill battle against a Government that has abandoned them. Shame, shame, shame.

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