Tuesday, 15 October 2024

Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club

Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (19:04): (853) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Racing, and I am glad to see him at the table. The action I seek is for the minister to meet with the Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club to discuss its future. Greyhound Racing Victoria suspended racing at the venue in July after issues with the lure, and members are unsure about whether racing will resume or what the future holds for the club. The club entered into voluntary administration with GRV in July 2023. After 12 months under GRV, issues with the lure continued, and management of Traralgon was transferred to the Sale greyhound racing club. It was then that racing ceased altogether at Traralgon. I am told planning and costings were done for a new conventional cable lure system but GRV decided the project was unfeasible and made no alternate offer for a solution. Aside from a notice on the GRV website, members have had little communication about their future, and this is also affecting the trainers in the area. The ongoing uncertainty of whether racing will resume has had a dire impact on the club.

The Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club has been a fixture of the Gippsland community since racing commenced at Glenview Park in 1973, and it contributes enormously to the local economy. Millions of dollars have been spent on the facility to turn it into one of the premium facilities in Victoria, and it will be a travesty to lose this once-thriving asset just because it seems too hard to come up with a viable solution to an issue with the lure. Minister, will you commit to sitting down with the Traralgon Greyhound Racing Club for an honest discussion about the club’s future?