Move to giddy-up appeals process
RACING Minister Stirling Hinchliffe has conceded Queensland’s appeal process needs to be more efficient and has flagged the possibility of a specialist racing arm within the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).
As the racing industry comes to grips with the fall of the biggest trainer in the country, with Darren Weir being charged and disqualified for four years in the space of a week, integrity in Queensland’s three racing codes continues to be undermined by a snail-like appeal system, that has cases unresolved dating back to 2016.
Queensland’s integrity system changed after the 2015 Macsporran inquiry into greyhound live baiting, which made recommendations that led to sweeping changes and the establishment of the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC).
Changes included disbanding the Racing Disciplinary Board in favour of an internal review, after which appellants go to QCAT if they are unsuccessful.
The bigger number of cases being referred to QCAT has created a backlog, with 36 cases yet to be heard or determined by QCAT.
In all but a handful of those, appellants have been granted a stay of proceedings to continue training or riding until the case is determined.
“The feedback I’m getting is that a lot of racing participants feel frustrated about the QCAT appeals process and the length of time it can take to determine cases,” Hinchliffe said.
“I want to see a more efficient appeals process and am certainly open to the idea of creating a specialist racing stream within QCAT to hear racing-related appeals.”