Question On Notice No. 746 asked in the Legislative Council on 12 May 2022 by Hon Dr Brad Pettitt
Question Directed to the: Minister for Emergency Services representing the Minister for Racing and Gaming
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the greyhound track upgrades to be undertaken by Racing and Wagering Western Australia at Mandurah and Cannington, based on recommendations made by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 2021. The works follow on from track upgrades recently completed at Northam and are not scheduled to commence in March 2023, despite the majority of injuries occurring at Cannington, and I ask:
(a) which companies have been awarded contracts to carry out the upgrades at each track;
(b) who is ultimately responsible for signing off on the upgrades at each track and whether the track is safe to reopen;
(c) what are the estimated upgrade costs at each track for:
(i) track and safety measures for the greyhounds
;
(ii) public and participant amenities; and
(iii) in total; and
(d) how many and which of the recommendations made by the UTS in 2021 will be implemented at each track?
Answered on 14 June 2022
Racing and Wagering Western Australia (RWWA) advises:
(a) The track upgrades at Mandurah have not yet been awarded and are subject to the completion of a tender process. The Cannington works are related to track maintenance. RWWA engaged Total Project Consultants (Licensed Surveyors) to survey the tracks and install survey markers at each of the 3 tracks.
(b) The RWWA stewards, taking into account relevant advice from Professor Eager from the UTS with respect to any works.
(c)(i) Works are subject to a tender process and therefore estimated costs cannot be provided at this time. However, RWWA Board have approved circa $6 million towards upgrades across all three tracks, subject to a tender process.
(ii) Public and participant amenities did not form part of the UTS recommendations.
(iii) The RWWA Board have approved circa $6 million towards track and safety measures, subject to a tender process.
(d) All track surface maintenance recommendations have been implemented at both tracks. All recommendations will be incorporated into the Mandurah re-development. Track surveying and regrading have been completed at Cannington.