Madeleine Ogilvie,Minister for Racing
The Tasmanian Liberal Government remains committed to new harness and greyhound tracks on the North West Coast and will invest $8 million into the project.
I note the decision by the Tasracing Board to cease works at the preferred location of the proposed harness and greyhound tracks at Palmers Road, Latrobe due to the findings of a ECOTas report.
The decision to cease work at the Palmers Road site in Latrobe will be disappointing for participants in the North West, however, work has already commenced on identifying a new and more suitable site.
The ECOTas report identified the Palmers Road site as a high priority for conservation management and presented a number of ecological challenges which made the development of this site unviable.
While this has been a setback, our Government’s commitment remains to this exciting project which will ensure harness and greyhound racing has a long future in the North West.
The Tasmanian Government is a strong supporter of the Tasmanian racing industry, which generates more than $185 million in economic activity and supports more than 5,800 people who are either employed in the industry or direct participants