New Totaliser Agency Board appointed

27/6/96

Racing and Gaming Minister Max Evans has announced the appointment of the new Totalisator Agency Board, which will take office on June 28.

The present chairman of the TAB, Mr Roger Hussey, will continue as chairman of the board, which was reconstituted in terms of the amendments to the racing and betting legislation which were passed by Parliament last December and will come into operation on Friday.

The other members of the board will be:

. Mr Raymond R D Walker, currently a director and formerly general manager and managing director of the Hospital Benefit Fund of WA, as deputy chairman;

. Mr Peter Charles Hawkins, State director of Potter Warburg Securities Ltd;

. Mr Reginald P Webb, a chartered accountant and partner, Price Waterhouse;

. Mr Ian McFarlane, head of information technology, DMR Group Aust P/L;

. Mrs Maureen McDaniell, managing director of McDaniell Associates/Oak Ridge Communication Group; and -

. Mr Barry Andrew Sargeant, executive director of the Office of Racing, Gaming and Liquor.

Mr Hussey and Mr Walker have been appointed for three years and the others for two.

The new legislation requires that members of the TAB be selected for their expertise in management, finance, business or commerce, or for their knowledge and experience of the racing industry.

Mr Evans also announced the appointment of a reconstituted Betting Control Board, with Mr Sargeant continuing as its chairman and Mr Hussey as an ex officio member.

Other appointments are existing members of the BCB; Mr John Nicolay representing the WA Turf Club, Mr Robert Jones of the WA Trotting Association, Mr Ken Norquay of the WA Greyhound Racing Association, Mr Ross Cooper of the WA Bookmakers' Association, and Mr Keith Shimmon, who is an additional member appointed by the Minister.

The deputy members for each of the four racing bodies are, respectively, Mr Richard Hart, Mr Kenneth Tilley, Mr Neal Albrey, and Mr John Sarre.

The new legislation will formally reduce the TAB turnover tax to five per cent. The tax is currently six per cent, but since 1993 the Government has been rebating one percentage point to the industry.

This has meant a boost to the industry of about $6 million a year.

The tax on bookmaker betting will become a levy and will be reduced from 2.25 per cent to two per cent. The racing clubs will retain the full amount of the levy on race betting and 50 per cent of the levy on sports betting turnover.

The other 50 per cent of the sports betting levy will be retained by the Betting Control Board.

The legislation establishes at 65:35 the TAB distribution ratio between thoroughbred racing and harness racing.

It also allows for an increase in the share of the TAB distribution to country thoroughbred and harness racing to be introduced by regulation.

Media contact: Hugh Ryan 322 6529