The extraordinary representations made by members of Tasmania’s harness racing community today have left Minister Jane Howlett with no choice but to intervene and restore faith in an industry that is unfortunately lurching from crisis to crisis under the Liberals’ watch.

More than a dozen respected members of the Tasmanian racing industry have made their voices loud and clear, calling on the Minister to reverse a decision allowing the transfer of horses from Wayne Yole to Robert Walters – a situation participants have called “unbelievable”.

The Liberals’ mismanagement of harness racing is undermining confidence in the entire industry. It must stop now and the buck stops with the Minister.

Minister Howlett needs to let Tasmanians know who’s side she is on – the participants and racing bodies that have spoken up today, or the individuals embroiled in serious integrity issues that continue to drag the industry’s reputation down.

If the Minister does finally intervene she will have Labor’s support. We are genuinely trying to work positively with the Government because we support the honest industry participants who are taking such extraordinary steps to restore trust in their code.

Luke Edmunds MLC
Shadow Minister for Racing