THE WEDNESDAY WHINGE has a new look but won’t be dispensing with the theme and focus on the THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY side of what is happening in racing. The Whinge will continue to provide an opportunity for The Cynics to Have Their Say. Thanks again for your support for the most read column on this website and one of the most read on racing websites in the country. Our popularity continues to grow despite the bagging it cops from some high profile officials, especially in Queensland, who cannot cope with constructive criticism of any kind. We encourage supporters – and critics – to continue to contribute but plan to restrict the Whinge to less than 10 of the best items each week. Our message to those who continually bag us is simple: IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU READ, THEN DON’T REVISIT THE WHINGE.
WOULD QUEENSLAND SEND THE WRONG MESSAGE IF IT LICENSED NIKOLIC? 
SEAN ANDREWS, of MELBOURNE, who is related to one of Australia’s leading jockeys, sent this email:
‘WHAT sort of signal will Racing Queensland send to the industry Australia-wide if it were to provide a new home for controversial jockey Danny Nikolic?
‘Dan the Man’ is hardly a prize catch despite the fact that racing in the Sunshine State is on its knees and probably desperate enough to take what it can get these days.
Nikolic’s run-ins with authorities – particularly Chief Steward Terry Bailey – means he is fruit out of season in Victoria. Some would say that he will struggle to regain a license to ride in that State.
Of course the ‘do-gooders’ will argue he has ‘served his time’ – yet again – deserves another chance and has the right to earn a living. That may be so but how long will it be before controversy again rides shotgun with Nikolic?
He is just about running out of places to go. They arguably don’t want him in Victoria, he has struggled previously to make his mark in New South Wales, there have been a couple of overseas stints that ended suddenly, Hong Kong to name but one, so is Queensland last port of call.
Racing Queensland has leant a sympathetic ear to a number of colorful industry personnel over the years who have wanted to make a comeback after career-threatening incidents – top trainer Gerald Ryan – now based in Sydney – is but one who benefited from their open door policy.
Having said that, the punters and stakeholders of racing in Queensland would like to hear the thoughts of Chief Steward Allan Reardon on Nikolic being relicensed in the north – after all he was Terry Bailey’s deputy in Victoria when war erupted between the parties not all that long ago.
The Nikolic family has had their share of controversy in Queensland before but that probably won’t matter when it comes to licensing ‘Dan the Man’. Knowing how things work in the north, count on ‘Dan the Man’ being back in the saddle in Brisbane before the end of the year.
After that, who knows what the future holds for this talented rider and whether he can steer clear of any further controversy. RQ has talked up how much tougher it is going to be integrity-wise in the wake of the ‘live baiting’ at the dogs and ‘cobalt crisis’ at the gallops.
But you have to first get a Chief Steward worth his salt to ‘do a Nikolic’ and want to put his foot in the merky waters that is racing in Queensland before the industry gets a clean bill of health in the north. And that seems to be a virtual Mission Impossible at the moment.
In the opinion of many it would be insulting to Australia’s top integrity team at Racing Victoria if RQ were to provide a new life for Nikolic. There are many who believe he should never be licensed to ride in this country again. I am one of them.’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE’S an interesting story on the above situation by BRAD DAVIDSON in the GOLD COAST BULLETIN on MONDAY:
THE brother of Danny Nikolic has urged Racing Queensland to grant the controversial jockey a licence to ride again and feels he would be “well received” in the Sunshine State.
Racing Queensland chief steward Allan Reardon yesterday confirmed Nikolic had applied for a licence in Queensland about a month ago for when his long ban expired on October 1.
Nikolic, 40, received a one-year disqualification after being found guilty of threatening Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey and his family at the Seymour races in September 2012.
He was then outed until midnight September 30, 2015 after being found guilty of verbally abusing steward Wade Hadley at a VCAT hearing.
Nikolic was also fined $1500 in 2013 for assaulting a fellow rider and a police officer.
Reardon said Nikolic’s application would be considered by the RQ licensing committee but he was not sure when.
Former Gold Coast trainer John Nikolic, who was disqualified for 12 months last year after a horse in his care produced a positive sample to banned substance gabapentin, said his brother should be allowed to ride in Queensland.
“(Former jockey Chris) Munce did jail time and (RQ) gave him a licence back, which I thought was the right thing,” Nikolic said.
“Most people would realise he has virtually no chance of getting a fair go in Melbourne and he likes the lifestyle up here and the weather.
“Everybody should be given a chance, and three years is more than enough time out of the game.”
Danny Nikolic, a 40-time Group 1 winner, has been living with his brother in Robina for the past three weeks.
“I think he rides better than most up here and if he does get a licence back I’m sure he will be well received especially because he has had so much luck up here,” John Nikolic said.
“He has won a couple of Stradbrokes and probably half a dozen Group 1s up here.”
John Nikolic said Danny had been trimming his weight down for weeks and claimed he had never seen his brother work harder before.
“I’ve never seen him fitter off a racecourse,” he said.
“He has been going walking for 4-5 hours a day and it’s just a matter of getting a licence so he can get back on a horse and get that race fitness back.
“He was about 60kg when he jumped on the scales the other day and he got up to a high of about 70kg at one stage.
“He has spent a fair bit of time on the sidelines but I think he is fresher than most 40-year-olds put it that way.”
Danny Nikolic did not return calls from the Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday.
ZERAFA WILL NEED A PRETTY CONVINCING ARGUMENT TO WIN BACK PUNTERS 
BRIAN DOORLEY of SYDNEY made this contribution:
‘AS a punter who has religiously followed the selections of Brent Zerafa on TVN and SKY, let me say I felt sick in the stomach when I read the allegations made against him.
I will delay my judgment of his actions until stewards complete their inquiry and Zerafa has reportedly declared his innocence but he will need to have a feasible and convincing argument to win back fans.
There is nothing worse than a tipster, who builds a strong reputation and a huge following, tipping horses other than those that he backs. The allegation is that Zerafa, whilst working for TVN, got an ‘inside’ tip for a winner which he backed that was different to the two horses he tipped publicly to viewers.
One wonders what possible explanation he can offer. I suspect he will suggest the tip arrived after he had delivered his selections on air. The time-line on his texts and the TVN programming would then no doubt seal his fate in the eyes of the stewards.
Some of the stories doing the rounds about the amount that Zerafa bets might be a personal matter but if they are right will surprise a few punters if these figures are made public during the inquiry.
At the end of the day, even if Zerafa escapes this credibility challenge, there will be plenty of punters – like my mates and I – who will have some concern over the identities in racing that he apparently associates with and won’t forget the contents of those texts between parties which make a bit of a mockery of racing, the stewards policing it and the thousands of small punters whose investments ensure its survival.
Right now it is Brent Zerafa who is battling for survival at SKY. The way racing in NSW works the chances are that even if he is guilty of poor judgment in this matter little more than a slap on the wrist will be his punishment.
If SKY is to retain any credibility at all they will restrict his on-camera activities in future to gathering the news, conducting interviews and being allowed no role at all when it comes to tipping winners – or as it seems has been the case in this latest fiasco – losers to the battling punters.’
ZERAFA A ‘CHOIR BOY’ IN RACING MEDIA TERMS COMPARED TO SOME OF THE PAST? 
STU WILLS of TOOWOOMBA sent this email relating to the same topic:
‘WHAT Brent Zerafa is alleged to have done is kids’ stuff compared to what went on under the noses of officialdom in Brisbane racing some decades back.
This was the time when certain high profile racing media identities had the run of the jockeys’ room on race days and relayed messages to major punting figures. Yes, it all happened, in a room right next door to where some highly respected stewards were operating and they did next to nothing about it.
This was after the days of Fine Cotton in Queensland but when an underworld figure from Sydney was allegedly having messages relayed to him from the press box at the major Brisbane tracks. He was cutting a swathe through the bookmaking rings on the east coast.
There was also the time when the racing media guys used to return the SPs for racing in the major centres. One point could make the difference between a return of tens of thousands of dollars to a big punter – and it often did.
What was allowed to occur in Brisbane back then – orchestrated by a Sydney mafia figure in conjunction with a high profile Queensland racing media identity remains a talking point and black eye for the integrity of racing to this day.
In comparison to what happened back then Brent Zerafa has done little wrong. But times have changed considerably.
And just on the topic of Dan Nikolic wanting to join a few other larrikins who now ride in Brisbane. Perhaps this copper they have brought in to run integrity should have a chat with some of his colleagues in Victoria first and one of the major questions asked might be: If a licensee is not fit to simply gain entry to the biggest casino in the country should he be permitted to ride in races where he will determine the fate of thousands of dollars in punter investments?
It’s just food for thought.’
BACK TO THE FUTURE IN APPOINTMENT OF RECRUITMENT COMPANY FOR RQ? 
PETER PARKER of the SUNSHINE COAST raises an interesting issue in this email:
‘MEMBERS of the racing community are expressing surprise that the Racing Minister has chosen Eden Ritchie Recruitment for the selection of a new Racing Queensland Advisory Board.
The company website emphasizes that they specialize in accounting, IT and health appointments. It introduces a talented team of consultants – 17 women and one man – but gives no indication that non-executive director recruitment is a speciality.
Nor does searching their online data base reveal any other oganisations currently appointing this company to recruit non-executive directors.
The recruitment of non-executive directors is highly specialized, with companies such as The Boardroom and Chandler McCleod offering a specialized service.
Eden Ritchie were responsible for appointing the Kevin Dixon Board which was subsequently dismissed by the Government. This would hardly seem to be the best qualification for recruiting the new Racing Advisory Board.
A visit to Glassdoor.com.au has testimonials from former employees of Eden Ritchie and these are hardly glowing of the company if anyone cares to check it out.
It would be interesting to know who recommended Eden Ritchie as the most qualified and independent recruitment company to handle the appointments of non-executive directors for the new Racing Advisory Board.
The Eden Ritchie director handling all applications is Justin Eden. Her open Facebook page lists Kevin Dixon, the former Chairman of Racing Queensland, as a ‘friend’.
An independent choice of recruitment company – you be the judge?
EDITOR’S NOTE: At the end of the day the panel appointed to select Board members from the list provided by the recruitment company is arguably far more important. The one that chose the last All Codes Board (two of whom subsequently resigned claiming lack of consultation from the Chairman) included: the late Judge Bill Carter; former Police Commissioner Jim O’Sullivan and one-time Governor Peter Arnison.
REQUESTED EXTRACTS FROM THE ESTIMATES HEARING ON RACING QUEENSLAND 
FROM a prominent, long-time Queensland racehorse owner who prefers to remain anonymous (for obvious reasons):
‘MY friends and I have been heavily involved in the racing industry in Queensland for longer than we care to admit. Last year I raced over 20 horses, mostly in the bush, but the future seems so uncertain that I have decided to reduce that number to next to none.
I haven’t given up on racing here but until the future becomes clearer from a financial perspective and we see what cuts are going to be made I will be investing in shares in horses that race and are trained interstate where I know I will get a fair go for my money.
We were interested in hearing what Racing Minister Bill Byrne had to say under questioning at the Estimates Hearing last week and wonder if you could provide a more detailed report than that published in The Courier-Mail.
With all due respects to the author of that article, Nathan Exelby, we, like many others, believe he is selective in his reporting of political matters in racing in Queensland – a throwback to his predecessor in the Turf Editor’s job.
Therefore, we took scant regard to what he chose to run and would like to read a more comprehensive report. We know this is available on some Government website but not being all that computer savvy were hoping you might help us out with this information, even in a précised form.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Happy to oblige and here are some extra edited extracts, which have taken up considerable space in this week’s Whinge, but hoping the information helps you and others to be better informed on the financial problems that have surfaced for the industry in Queensland since the Kevin Dixon Board was shown the door.
THE ESTIMATES HEARING DEBATE - IN PART .gif)
JAN STUCKEY, the Member for Currumbin, probed the most on behalf of the LNP when Racing Minister Bill Byrne and RQ Interim CEO Ian Hall were put under the spotlight:
MRS STUCKEY: My question is Minister, will you now table the interim assessments you have spoken of from KPMG that support evidence of the cost blowout and the savings as outlined?
Mr BYRNE: The racing industry and Racing Queensland are confronting a very, very serious financial problem. There is no way of denying that. So this suggestion that in some way we are obscuring the fact of the matter is absolutely false. In fact, we have gone in the opposite direction. We have engaged. There is nothing that we are not putting on the table here. This problem sheets home the inaction of the previous Government and the comments by the previous Minister in the last sittings of Parliament were absolutely disgraceful, completely and utterly unable to reconcile the responsibilities of the previous Government. If anyone is accountable for where Racing Queensland sits today, it is the previous Government. We have come into power and all of a sudden as a result of, admittedly, the investigations and processes associated with the greyhounds — the Greyhound Commission of Inquiry — forcing us to go into Racing Queensland to reveal the lack of substance that exists in Racing Queensland, it has been a revelation and it can only point back to the ineptitude of the previous Government. So I refute the claim that we are not transparent. Every single piece of information that we have has been made publicly available. A full discussion paper on the industry’s finances was released online yesterday (last Thursday). I would encourage the Member to go and have a look at that. That is there; it is in the public domain. All the facts are evident and all elements for the industry to know where we sit and the very, very severe and hard choices that have to be made going forward. This notion, the Pontius Pilate effect sitting in Opposition completely obscured from reality, is a false notion. They have had every opportunity to make sure that they are aware of where we sit and they have deliberately not wanted to engage because of the embarrassment they feel and carry from their previous regime. So there is no question or doubt about the numbers, where the industry sits and the problems and challenges going forward. And this deliberate suggestion that we are withholding or we are misrepresenting or that we are in some way as a Government doing anything that is not completely transparent is absolutely outrageous — an outrageous suggestion — and I take great umbrage at it.
Mrs STUCKEY: The $6 million savings that are mentioned in question on notice No. 7 I am told were not on the previous Board’s agenda and they have been added since their departure. Where did these figures come from?
Mr BYRNE: Before I allow the interim CEO (the answer), I am not sure what was on the previous Board’s agenda, but I can tell you this much: from the moment we went in there, from the moment that we actually got the figures from the Chief Financial Officer from Racing Queensland, it became self-evident where the trajectory of Racing Queensland was. Of course, those numbers are completely accurate and the $6 million of savings, I will ask the interim CEO to ventilate that further.
Mr (Ian) HALL: When I came into Racing Queensland I was presented with a draft budget by the CFO which showed a loss in the order of $21 million. A normal process to go through is to go back to the management, go through line by line to understand is that budget — are the items in that budget, are there savings which can be made, are they realistic, what are the assumptions on each of those items. So we went through line by line with each of the key managers and identified areas where they maybe had included additional staff or other items of expenditure which on reflection maybe ought not to have been spent or could be considered to be reduced. So, we went through a process line by line identifying that with the staff and came up with the approximately $6 million in savings from the original budget.
Mr BYRNE: From day one, within 24 hours, we had a very great set of concerns raised. There has been an enormous amount of work done trying to get to the bottom of exactly where we sit in Racing Queensland. So on the basis of being transparent as we move through that process some of those numbers have moved around. There is no question of that. We started out with $21 million, we are now at $28 million despite the efficiency dividends. The further projections are still based on certain assumptions. If you want to drill into the actual numbers here, the best person to take you through that is the interim CEO.
MRS STUCKEY: How long will KPMG be acting as administrators for Racing Queensland? What is the budget for this?
Mr BYRNE: There is a defined period when we expect to see the stabilisation of Racing Queensland. It is difficult to be absolutely precise about at what point that will occur. As I said earlier, we are in the process of putting in place a Board of a transitional nature to provide oversight of our measures going forward. At the moment, it is intended — and I do not want to be held to this — that March 2016 will see the transition out of Administrator control. That depends, however, on a number of measures going forward. If you are looking for a planning figure, March 2016 is most likely. That is what we are working towards. There can be no absolute time, as I have realised, going forward with racing.
Mrs STUCKEY: I did also ask what the budget would be. Is there an estimate?
Mr BYRNE: Mr Hall has been engaged under a standard offer arrangement through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, as per standard policy. The value of his remuneration will be posted on the Department of Housing and Public Works website in due course. This enactment cost is being paid for by the Department of National Parks, Sport and Racing. Mr Hall has been appointed by the Governor in Council for a period, at present, from June to September 2015. The Executive Council minute is in progress which seeks approval for the Governor in Council to extend that appointment, as I indicated earlier. It will be posted on the appropriate website in due course as all procurements are.
CHAIR: In a statement to the House on 16 July, you said that Racing Queensland is expected to make a loss of $28 million in the 2015-16 financial year. This is after $6 million was identified in savings. Can you breakdown this unexpected loss?
Mr BYRNE: A breakdown of the expected loss to be incurred by Racing Queensland is as follows. Revenue for the 2015-16 financial year is estimated to total $181.2 million, which is made up of wagering revenue of $166.8 million, representing the revenue received from UBET, the other State totes and the corporate wagering service providers; racing fees of $9.5 million, representing the various starter fees, scratching and feature race acceptance fees, as well as fines; revenue from the Queensland Thoroughbred Incentive Scheme and QBRED breeding programs of $1.7 million; and other revenue of $3.2 million, which primarily includes rental income derived from Albion Park, the annual licence subscription fees from the various industry participants, income from the RTO operated by Racing Queensland and the grant from the State Government for country racing. Total revenue for the financial year 2015-16 is slightly down by $2.2 million from an estimated revenue for financial year 2015-16 of $183.4 million, which is currently subject to an annual audit. Despite anticipated growth in wagering activity, Racing Queensland is expecting wagering revenue to remain at 2014-15 levels, primarily due to a shift from parimutuel to fixed odds betting, for which Racing Queensland receives a lower return, growth in the corporate wagering service providers and interstate totes, which also provide a lower return to Queensland Racing than UBET. Total estimated revenue for financial year 2015-16 is anticipated to be insufficient to meet the estimated financial year expenditure of $209.3 million, which is made up of prizemoney and payments under breeding schemes of $138.6 million, subsidy payments to clubs and other payments made by Racing Queensland on clubs’ behalf of $16.8 million, Racing Queensland costs, race day costs, stewarding and integrity costs totalling $33.6 million, the Racing Science Centre costs of $4.2 million, payments to jockeys of approximately $13.3 million, harness driver fees of $931,000 and depreciation expenses of $1.8 million. This sees expenditure forecast to increase by $14.6 million from the total expenditure in financial year 2015-16 of $194.6 million, which is currently subject to an audit. The main reasons for the increase in expenditure for 2015-16 are: the full annual impact from the increase in prizemoney made on 1 October 2014 — in 2014-15 financial year Racing Queensland paid nine months at an increased prizemoney level whereas for financial year 2015-16 this will see the full 12 months paid at an increased level; the additional contribution to the Magic Millions race meeting held in early January 2016, which is above the contribution made by Racing Queensland in financial year 2014-15; and additional expenditure under the QTIS and QBRED breeding schemes as a result of the recent changes made to those schemes.
ROB KATTER GOES INTO BAT FOR BUSH RACING AT ESTIMATES HEARING 
WE also received this email on a similar topic and have provided extracts from what the Racing Minister had to say in response to questions on country racing from the Member for Mt Isa, Rob Katter, at the Estimates Hearing.
COLIN JOHNSON of NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND sent this email:
‘FOR the long suffering supporters of country and bush racing in Queensland it doesn’t seem to matter who is running the show – administratively or politically – we are the first to suffer when something goes wrong.
Reading between the lines – and from what I have been told – racing venues outside the south-east corner look set to take a major hit in the wake of the financial crisis facing RQ.
Surely this does not mean more cuts to prizemoney – when we didn’t really get as much as the city folk in the most recent announcement – or worse still, a reduction in the number of clubs.
The big beneficiaries are always the major clubs in the south, the breeders, who jump from one political ship to the other to ensure they never miss out and now the Magic Millions who seem to get what they ask for due to the influence of owner Gerry Harvey.
I have been told that Rob Katter went into bat for bush racing at the Estimates Hearing. Can you provide us with any more information on this?’
EDITOR’S NOTE: HERE is what Rob Katter asked and the replies he got from Racing Minister Bill Byrne at the Estimates Hearing:
EXTRACTS FROM THE ESTIMATES HEARING 
MEMBER for Mount Isa, Mr KATTER: The theme repeated often is that the decrease in appropriation revenue predominantly reflects the deferral of funding to future racing infrastructure grants and I ask: Can the minister please provide an explanation of this issue and how these changes may impact rural and regional Queensland with particular attention to country racing?
Mr BYRNE: As I indicated earlier, consultation has begun to get Racing Queensland back on track. Action must be taken to stem the mounting and unsustainable financial losses at Racing Queensland. This includes discussion about infrastructure investments in the industry. Our focus now is to get on with the future and what can be achieved if the stakeholders work together. That is what our endeavours are focused towards today. It is important that all stakeholders are fully aware of the financial position of Racing Queensland and the key issues that need to be addressed. This will include a plan for infrastructure priorities identified by industry. The Industry Infrastructure Strategy was developed by Racing Queensland to highlight and prioritise the industry’s infrastructure needs. Projects identified in the strategy are funded by the government’s former Racing Industry Capital Development Scheme and the new Racing Infrastructure Fund. I recently announced that the loan arrangements had been approved for the second phase of the Eagle Farm project, allowing for construction to commence on the tunnels and infield component. This will ensure the upgrade of the state’s premier racing facility can proceed as we endeavour to return to racing as soon as possible. Current approved projects are the $22 million Eagle Farm redevelopment — $10 million of that is from the Racing Industry Capital Development Scheme, that is for the track, and $12 million for a loan from the Racing Infrastructure Fund for the infield tunnel works; and the $7 million upgrade at the Townsville Turf Club. It is acknowledged that there have been delays with the Eagle Farm project, but this is a situation that the government inherited when it took office. Unfortunately, at the time when Racing Queensland elected to cease racing at Eagle Farm in August 2014 not all of the required approvals were in place for the funding required for the project as various documents were not submitted for consideration and approval. These issues were not addressed by the former Government and former administration of Racing Queensland and the approvals remained outstanding until relatively recently. All other proposed infrastructure projects are currently under review and once consultation has concluded on a reprioritised strategy it will be submitted with an amended infrastructure strategy to myself for approval. I look forward to working with the industry to develop a plan to get the industry back to sustainability and renew Queenslanders’ confidence in the racing industry. As far as country racing is concerned, I know it is very important to rural and regional communities. These regional race meets are a fantastic way for those often in far-flung communities to get together. So the social component cannot be overstated. I have always enjoyed myself at these meets and it is important that they continue. The government has committed $4 million to country racing over four years. Current funding will continue for the 2015-16 season. This funding has been allocated to support three country race programs: the Showcase Country Series, the Celebrate Country Series and the Sustained Country Series. Twenty race meetings have been allocated in the country series for 2015-16. Funding for these series by the government is in addition to that that has been guaranteed to be funded by Racing Queensland as required under the Racing Act.
Mr KATTER: The service area highlights that the state is providing $1 million to fund 20 additional country race meetings to contribute to regional economies. Can you ensure that prizemoney previously provided to those country race meetings in North-West Queensland, that is, the electorates of Mount Isa and Dalrymple, have not been reduced?
Mr BYRNE: The Member might have picked up from my previous answer that government support to country racing and prizemoney is self-evident by the allocations we have made in the budget additional to that being provided by Racing Queensland. Our intention up-front in the budget is to maintain country racing support at a level that it can be. We committed to supporting country racing. As I said in the last answer, that reflects that. In 2014-15, 279 country race meetings were staged in Queensland. The Racing Act states Racing Queensland must pay 5.32 per cent of the net Unibet product fee for a year as prize money for non-TAB thoroughbred races conducted by non-TAB thoroughbred clubs in a year. Racing Queensland paid a total — and this is separate from the government contributions — $9,647,750 in prize money at non-TAB meetings in 2014 and additionally $646,300 worth of QTIS incentive payments and $551,000 in club administration. As part of Racing Queensland industry consultation, a representative from each of the country racing organisations has been invited to the consultation sessions to be held in Mackay on 24 August and Cairns on 25 August. I hope that gives you some comfort that the Government for its role and Racing Queensland under its responsibilities under the act are continuing to support country racing.
Mr KATTER: As a follow-up question, as you alluded to before, those once-a-year country race meets do not have a lot of commercial basis. They are a completely different animal; the Mount Isa race meet compared to a Maxwelton. There is a real social benefit, particularly in the context of the rural crisis. There is a real community benefit there, which would suggest there are some obligations outside of this portfolio. Minister, are you open to have that discussion about alternative sources of funding? If in the wash-up from this there is a shortfall and we are looking at cutting country race meets, there is a social factor there as well. Perhaps that means it deserves alternative funding sources, and I am sure you would be happy to hear of that outside of your portfolio, if it was a possibility.
Mr BYRNE: Of course we are receptive within the bounds of what our budget allocations are. That said, it is interesting that, because of where the industry sits, there is going to have to be some give and take. We are hoping as part of the consultation process going forward with all elements of industry — clubs, jockeys, all codes — that they recognise that the current settings simply cannot be sustained. It is as simple as that. There is going to have to be some goodwill and some compromise going forward in order to stabilise Racing Queensland. There is no question of that. There are no silver bullets or magic puddings. The deficits here are considerable. We have not landed and nor has Racing Queensland landed on what exactly is going to transpire. It is not our intention to jeopardise racing incountry Queensland, but there will have to be some accommodations made going forward. The more that that is shared, the better for all. I do not want to prejudice our support for country racing, but I say this: this is a difficult set of decisions that industry and all codes are going to have to make. We want them to be fully engaged and fully aware of what the implications are and there is going to have to be some give from everybody, otherwise it is a very bad scenario.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in the above e-mails should not be interpreted as those of JOHN LINGARD, the owner-editor of the letsgohorseracing web-site. That is why he has added an ‘EDITOR’S NOTE’. Every endeavor is made to verify the authenticity of contributors. We welcome any reasonable and constructive responses from parties or individuals.