Wednesday, 22 June 2022

 Ms McLEISH (Eildon) (09:46): Racing is an important feature across my electorate, with picnic clubs in five towns and the larger Yarra Valley Racing club in Yarra Glen. I am keen to see these clubs get a bit more attention, and I am calling for change rooms for female jockeys to be given a lot more love. Female jockey numbers have been steadily increasing, making up a third of jockeys. At meetings in Mansfield the number of female jockeys is on par with the number of males. Female change rooms need to be improved to ensure the jockeys have comfortable and safe facilities with showers and toilets. Racing clubs in my electorate typically describe their female change rooms as ‘adequate’. In Yea the small female golf change room doubles as a jockeys area. It is cramped. Mansfield racing club would like to see upgrades to their bathroom facilities, new flooring, new plumbing and storage. At Healesville and Merton, the male and female change rooms are the same, but in Healesville they are still inadequate. The change rooms at Yarra Valley Racing club are over 15 years old and need to be expanded to accommodate the growing number of female jockeys. The committees are doing the best with what they have, but an upgrade would be most welcome by clubs and jockeys.