CALLINAN INQUIRY – EQUINE INFLUENZA

The Australian Racing Board has welcomed the public release of the report by the Hon. Ian Callinan AC into the circumstances of the 2007 Equine Influenza disaster and the Rudd Government’s response. Mr Callinan’s report deals with:

• Findings on the cause of the outbreak
• Measures to improve Australian quarantine

The Chairman of the Australian Racing Board, Bob Pearson, has commended Mr Callinan on the thoroughness of his report.

“It was entirely expected that a person of Mr Callinan’s calibre would deliver an outstanding report. He has been scathing in his criticisms, but I know that the many thousands of industry participants whose lives where thrown into turmoil by this outbreak will be grateful to him for calling those responsible to account.” 

“Just as importantly, he has provided a blueprint for a quarantine system that ensures, so far as practicable, that an outbreak of this kind never occurs again”            - Bob Pearson

Mr Pearson answered questions about possible compensation claims by saying that this was a matter that required careful consideration, both of the contents of the Callinan report and of the surrounding legal issues. It would not be responsible to canvass the issue in detail at this point.

Mr Pearson also noted the success of the industry’s representations against the mooted closure of Tullamarine Airport to horses, which if proceeded with would have impacted on the Spring Carnival.

“The Australian Racing Board made representations against a proposed ban on live horses coming into Tullamarine Airport unless and until a new purpose-built facility was constructed. Naturally, I am delighted that Mr Callinan has accepted our submissions on this matter and discharged that proposal.”

Mr Pearson congratulated the team that represented the Thoroughbred and Harness racing and breeding sectors throughout the Callinan Inquiry: Australian Racing Board Chief Executive, Andrew Harding, Sydney barrister, Garry Rich, and Clayton Utz solicitor Tony Rein.

“The outcomes achieved today taken together with the Australian Racing Board’s success earlier this week on the proposed recovery from the industry of the $108M EI eradication costs are fantastic achievements and full credit goes to Andrew Harding together with Garry Rich and Tony Rein.”   

For further inquires:

Andrew Harding,
Chief Executive,
Australian Racing Board,          0417 043 233.

Notes to Editors:

1. Impact of EI Outbreak

The outbreak of Equine Influenza from the Eastern Creek Quarantine station in August, 2007 was the worst seen in Australian Racing’s 200 year history.
The impact of the EI outbreak on Australian racing is estimated at approximately $1billion. This included:

• A week-long Australia-wide shutdown of all race meetings.
• Extended paralysis of racing in NSW and Queensland, including loss of the Sydney Spring Carnival and the Queensland Summer Carnival.
• Substantial disruptions to the breeding sector, including a 10% fall in the number of coverings.
• Loss of export Australia’s sales. Trade with important trading partners such as Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and New Zealand was disrupted for 8 months.
• Delays in transport overseas to Hong Kong and elsewhere of horses sold pre-August 2007.
• Devastation of racehorse careers (with each infected horse taking approximately 3 months to return to work), and horses movement restrictions preventing champion horses competing interstate.
• Loss of industry wagering income, both immediate (an Australia-wide downturn in wagering attributable to the absence of NSW and Queensland races), and potentially medium term.
• Substantial losses to States that were able to continue racing, but still saw revenues decline because of the forced vacuum of metropolitan racing in Sydney and Brisbane. (In Victoria alone the losses attributed to EI have been calculated at $15 million.)
• Workforce dislocation, with the prospect of some former workforce participants having been permanently lost to other industries.

2. Establishment of Callinan Inquiry

3.         Course of Callinan Inquiry

The Quarantine Amendment (Commission of Inquiry) Act 2007, which received Royal Assent on 24 September 2007, amended the Quarantine Act 1908 to provide for the appointment of a person to conduct an inquiry into the outbreak of equine influenza. On 25 September 2007, the Hon Mr Ian Callinan AC was appointed Commissioner by the then Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under section 66AY of the Quarantine Act 1908. Section 66AZE of the Quarantine Act 1908 provides that most of the provisions of the Royal Commissions Act 1902 apply to the Inquiry and the Commissioner as if the Inquiry were a Royal Commission.

The Australian Racing Board together with the AHRC, TBA and AusHorse has represented the thoroughbred and harness industries throughout the inquiry and in making a formal submission to the Commission. This submission:

• Used the evidence that had been presented to the Inquiry to formulate a case that responsibility for the EI outbreak should be sheeted home to failures by the Commonwealth / AQIS relating to Australia’s quarantine arrangements.
• Advanced proposals relating to the need for future quarantine arrangements to be adequate to prevent future outbreaks of EI and other horse diseases so as to prevent the substantial industry dislocation and income losses caused by the 2007 EI outbreak.

The industry’s submission is posted on the Australian Racing Board’s website at
www.australian-racing.net.au .

End Media Advisory.