Government remains committed to new North West tracks

Madeleine Ogilvie,Minister for Racing

The Tasmanian Liberal Government remains committed to new harness and greyhound tracks on the North West Coast and will invest $8 million into the project.

I note the decision by the Tasracing Board to cease works at the preferred location of the proposed harness and greyhound tracks at Palmers Road, Latrobe due to the findings of a ECOTas report.

The decision to cease work at the Palmers Road site in Latrobe will be disappointing for participants in the North West, however, work has already commenced on identifying a new and more suitable site.

The ECOTas report identified the Palmers Road site as a high priority for conservation management and presented a number of ecological challenges which made the development of this site unviable.

While this has been a setback, our Government’s commitment remains to this exciting project which will ensure harness and greyhound racing has a long future in the North West.

The Tasmanian Government is a strong supporter of the Tasmanian racing industry, which generates more than $185 million in economic activity and supports more than 5,800 people who are either employed in the industry or direct participants

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