Howlett back in hot seat as Racing Ministry roundabout continues in Tasmania

Tasmania will have its third different racing minister in just over two years with Jane Howlett, who held the role until early 2022, re-appointed under the latest changes to Premier Jeremy Rockliff’s ministry.

Howlett was Racing Minister from January 2020 to February 2022, when she resigned from cabinet for personal reasons.

Since then, Liberal members Madeleine Ogilvie and Felix Ellis have held the Racing Minister role during a turbulent time for the Tasmanian industry, especially in the integrity space.

Howlett, formerly a member of the Upper House Legislative Council seat of Prosser, was recently elected in the lower house House Of Assembly seat of Lyons at the recent Tasmanian election.

The March 23 election saw Rockliff fail to secure enough seats for a majority Liberal government. He has come to an agreement with the Jacqui Lambie Party to ensure his party can rule in minority and has confirmed his cabinet changes.

“I also welcome back Jane Howlett to the Cabinet. The hardworking former Member for Prosser will be a welcome new addition to the House of Assembly as Minister for Primary Industries and Water,” Rockliff said.

“Ms Howlett will also become Minister for Racing – a portfolio which she previously held and loved, and which I know she’s very excited and passionate about.”

Howlett will have her work cut out in the racing portfolio after a series of scandals and a decision by the Rockliff government earlier this year to abolish the Office Of Racing Integrity after the scathing findings of the Murrihy Report.

With an increased presence of both green and independent MPs within the expanded Tasmanian parliament, the operations of the racing industry are set to draw ongoing considerable political scrutiny.

Under current Tasmanian law, racing integrity, specifically ORI and all stewarding, sits under the responsibility of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

However, the intention is that the parliament will adopt the recommendations the Monteith Report made in 2021, and bring the troubled integrity department, which has had eight different people in its director role since 2016, under the auspices of Tasracing.

That requires legislative changes to be made in parliament.

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The StraightBren O’Brien

It has been a tumultuous past 12 months for the Tasmanian racing industry.

The leading trainer in thoroughbred racing, Scott Brunton, had his licence revoked by ORI in September after the Australian Tax Office ordered the closure of his business due to a reported $1 million debt.

Then the leading greyhound trainer, Anthony Bullock, was given a life ban by ORI over live baiting charges in October. He subsequently had that conviction and ban overturned on appeal.

Meanwhile the state’s top harness trainer, Ben Yole, was named in Ray Murrihy’s long-awaited report into allegations of race fixing and animal abuse and was warned off racetracks, along with three others by Tasracing.

However, Yole and the other parties had that action overturned in court and he has returned to training and driving horses while a further investigation is conducted.

ORI Director of Racing, Robin Thompson, said that an independent panel of interstate harness racing and integrity experts had been appointed to address the issues raised in the Murrihy report.

“This process will investigate the issues and provide an opportunity for parties to respond to them which may or may not result in sanctions according to provisions of the harness racing rules and Racing Regulation Act,” Thompson said at the time.