Just a comment on the debacle that the Andrews government has brought on itself.

Listening to Mr Pakula this morning denying any knowledge of the election rort-even though some of that money was spent on his behalf-brings up the thought of trainers at Tooradin having no knowledge of live rabbits being used but were found by RADB under the absolute liability rule to be guilty.

This is the RADB & GRV CEO-public servant MR. Clayton-appointed by and responsible to Mr Pakula.

Could it be that Mr Pakula laid a heavy hand on these appointees to make a point to the industry?

Could it be that absolute liability was applied to make a point to the industry?

How can it now be denied by Mr Pakula that "no knowledge is a defence" in his case and absolute liability does not apply to him and the Labor Government....... hypocrisy at its worst!

Why is it that we trainers were condemned by Mr Pakula thru GRV and yet he sees himself and other Ministers not guilty of "absolute liability".

These people seek to absolve themselves of any responsibility and yet are quick to freely use innocent people as sacrificial lambs to slaughter in a vote saving exercise.

As I said-HYPOCRITES

Kerry Chalker

I would like to add that this methodology was also extended to many RADB positive swab cases concerning Cobalt and later Arsenic as examples,(I also have my own experience in believing that the RADB has not been independent) yet they changed there tune when many disqualified people did not return to the training ranks because of the onerous process to get a license back. Now they suspend people with their license being handed back when its over.

Charles.

Below is the link to the 3aw interviews

EXTERNAL LINK

EXTERNAL LINK

I make no comment on political rorts in Vic.

However, in theory the appointment of the CEO is the responsibility of the board, not of Pakula and he certainly does not report to Pakula. Having said that, Clayton had form within the official Vic arena and was essentially a bureaucrat. Much the same could be said about the two people conducting (dubious) post-live baiting reviews.

The overlapping issue is that greyhound board members and CEOs in Victoria and elsewhere come and go like autumn leaves, always at the whim of governments. In total, this contributes to instability, a lack of forward planning, erratic policies from one state to another, and a general lack of accountability.

While I am not qualified to talk about the detail of drugs or RADB actions, I can note that there is always questionable evidence (or none at all) about the effect of various drugs on the performance of a greyhound. Even the maximum limits are no more than an estimate, usually by a non-racing person or body.

In other words, drug policy has moved from what was once a black and white situation into a very murky area and has also been influenced by horse practices. As a group, trainers are partly to blame for this as a few are always trying to gain an advantage over the opposition (and have been for hundreds of years).

In that context, administrators will err on the safe side (safe for them).

That leaves two problems: first, "drugs" now involve substances which are present in everyday life, especially in a marketplace where foodstuffs and their preparation involve evermore technological innovations (eg the NZ stewards discovered that the kibble given to Sweet It Is was based on a formula which contained minute amounts of tea (ie caffeine).

Second, this runaway train situation is occurring in an administrative environment where responsibility and authority is applied somewhat haphazardly - a bit like tag team wrestling. Legal wrangles are becoming routine. Different organisations have different ways of assessing and dealing with the subject (look at the footballers' sagas, as another example). It all lacks clarity and definition.

In this context, greyhound administration is weakened and lacks transparency. For this and other reasons, the entire structure needs to be reformed so as to create more efficiency and confidence in what they do. The first requirement is to distance itself from government. To accomplish that it needs to create an authoritative national body to be in charge.