❓ A parliamentary question regarding TAB providing credit facilities to Craig Rosendorff, leading to an out-of-court settlement. The Minister avoids direct answers, deflecting responsibility to a previous minister and emphasizing the Racing and Wagering WA board's decision.
AnsweredQoN 416Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CRAIG ROSENDORFF - TAB LOSSES
Given that the minister has stated that no further inquiry will be undertaken into the scandal involving high-profile businessman Craig Rosendorff being given credit betting facilities by the Totalisator Agency Board, which has ultimately cost Racing and Wagering Western Australia a high figure out-of-court settlement, I ask - (1) Will the minister concede that this situation has arisen because the TAB broke the law by providing credit facilities to Mr Rosendorff? (2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN
Given that the minister has stated that no further inquiry will be undertaken into the scandal involving high-profile businessman Craig Rosendorff being given credit betting facilities by the Totalisator Agency Board, which has ultimately cost Racing and Wagering Western Australia a high figure out-of-court settlement, I ask - (1) Will the minister concede that this situation has arisen because the TAB broke the law by providing credit facilities to Mr Rosendorff? (2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(1) Will the minister concede that this situation has arisen because the TAB broke the law by providing credit facilities to Mr Rosendorff? (2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(1) Will the minister concede that this situation has arisen because the TAB broke the law by providing credit facilities to Mr Rosendorff? (2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(2) What action has been taken or will be taken against those responsible for providing credit to Mr Rosendorff? (3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(3) Can the minister confirm that the settlement was in the vicinity of $2 million; and, if not, what was the value of the settlement? (4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(4) Can the minister guarantee that no other punters have been given similar inducements by the TAB and may make claims against Racing and Wagering Western Australia? Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
I thank the member for South Perth for the question. (1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
(1)-(4) Between 1995 and 1998, Mr Rosendorff, as people will be aware from media reports, had a significant series of bets on racehorses with the TAB. In 1998, it became apparent that he had been betting with cheques, which meant in effect that he was betting by credit because he was not making the payments until a few days after he had placed the bets. That effective credit was contrary to some of the provisions of the Betting Control Act. The Betting Control Board investigated those activities and subsequently made a range of recommendations to the coalition government. The government subsequently introduced amendments into the Parliament and the legislation was changed as a result of this matter. I do not intend to reopen this issue. It was dealt with almost 10 years ago. The minister responsible at the time, who had the authority to direct the TAB, considered the matter closed. I can show the member for South Perth the Hansard . He should have a look. The then minister brought laws into this Parliament to deal with this matter. If the member for South Perth has concerns about anybody being responsible for this matter, he should go to the person who was then the minister who had authority and power of direction over the Totalisator Agency Board. His name is Hon Max Evans. He was a member of the upper house and is a member of the member for South Perth’s party. If the member has concerns about this matter, he should be directing his attention to Hon Max Evans. The board of Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the settlement on Friday. The board consists of representatives of the racing industry; in fact, they are some of the best known people in racing, in not only Western Australia, but also Australia as a whole. They include people like Ross Bowe, the chair of the board, and Bob Pearson, Ross Cooper and Geoff Martin, who are well-known people in each of the racing codes. They made the decision on commercial grounds, based on all the evidence presented to them as board members. This Parliament passed laws three years ago in which it expressly said that it wanted to give authority for these matters to the board. I could quote a whole range of members on the other side of the house whose comments on these issues are recorded in Hansard . If we are to say to the racing industry that it should run itself through this board, we cannot then say that on some occasions when a matter might be politically a little sensitive the minister will make the decision. We either give the industry the authority and the ability and right to make these decisions or we do not. I have decided that those people are capable. Under the law, I have no capacity to direct them. They have made a commercial decision and I support them in that.
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