❓ A parliamentary question addresses a greyhound death at the newly upgraded Northam track, inquiring about the upgrade's contractors, sign-off process, costs, implementation of recommendations, and the cause of the incident. The answer details contractors, sign-off process, costs, and explains the lure malfunction as the cause of the incident, unrelated to the upgrades.
AnsweredQoN 745Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the recent Northam greyhound track upgrades undertaken by Racing and Wagering Western Australia, based on recommendations made by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2021. The tracks re-opened on 2 May 2022, and a greyhound died on the track that same day, and I ask: (a) which companies were engaged to carry out the upgrades; (b) who was ultimately responsible for signing off on the upgrades and whether the track was safe to reopen; (c) what was the total cost of the upgrades; (d) how many and which of the recommendations made by the UTS in 2021 have been implemented at Northam; and (e) how did a fault of the lure result in the greyhound death on 2 May 2022?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 June 2022
Responded by
Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Racing and Gaming
Response time
7 days
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) has provided the following advice:
(a) This was a RWWA managed project, which included several contractors: Tracc Civil Pty Ltd; Van Kuyl Holdings Pty Ltd trading as John’s Motor Trimmers; Diesel & Dust Enterprises Pty Ltd trading as Avon Valley Contractors; Martin Edward Seskas trading as Seskas Welding Service. It is important to note: the incident that occurred at the Northam track, was not associated with the work undertaken by these contractors, as part of the upgrades.
(b) The RWWA stewards, taking into account relevant advice from Professor Eager from the UTS with respect to any works.
Specifically with respect to the approval for racing to resume at Northam this included:
(c) $235,769.61
(d) RWWA worked with UTS to confirm the appropriate immediate works for the Northam track, including:
(e) A mechanical issue resulted in the lure failing to accelerate at a speed to create the normal separation between the lure and the greyhound at completion of the race. The separation post-race will cause greyhounds to slow and arrive safely at the catching pen area.
The failure of the lure to accelerate at the standard pace on this occasion, unfortunately caused the leading greyhound to continue to chase and collide with the catching pen gate, sadly resulting in euthanasia by the On Track Veterinarian.
This was not related to the renovation work and racing remains halted at the venue until stewards are satisfied it can return safely with respect to the lure.
Four races were safely completed on 2 May 2022, prior to the incident occurring.
(a) This was a RWWA managed project, which included several contractors: Tracc Civil Pty Ltd; Van Kuyl Holdings Pty Ltd trading as John’s Motor Trimmers; Diesel & Dust Enterprises Pty Ltd trading as Avon Valley Contractors; Martin Edward Seskas trading as Seskas Welding Service. It is important to note: the incident that occurred at the Northam track, was not associated with the work undertaken by these contractors, as part of the upgrades.
(b) The RWWA stewards, taking into account relevant advice from Professor Eager from the UTS with respect to any works.
Specifically with respect to the approval for racing to resume at Northam this included:
(c) $235,769.61
(d) RWWA worked with UTS to confirm the appropriate immediate works for the Northam track, including:
(e) A mechanical issue resulted in the lure failing to accelerate at a speed to create the normal separation between the lure and the greyhound at completion of the race. The separation post-race will cause greyhounds to slow and arrive safely at the catching pen area.
The failure of the lure to accelerate at the standard pace on this occasion, unfortunately caused the leading greyhound to continue to chase and collide with the catching pen gate, sadly resulting in euthanasia by the On Track Veterinarian.
This was not related to the renovation work and racing remains halted at the venue until stewards are satisfied it can return safely with respect to the lure.
Four races were safely completed on 2 May 2022, prior to the incident occurring.
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