Prominent Queensland racing organizations "fear police-style powers handed to the new racing integrity commission could hand investigators unrestricted access to turf clubs and training facilities," according to Geoff Chambers of THE AUSTRALIAN. Under proposed legislation, racing industry figures "fear integrity commission staff could gain access to racecourses and private properties without alerting racing managers and trainers." Leading racing outfits will attend a meeting in Brisbane Wednesday to "discuss collective concerns about the Racing Integrity Bill 2015." The laws "could expose non-racing business entities and operations to broad integrity probes." Industry sources said that there was serious concern about an "overreach of powers." Under draft legislation, authorized officers can -- "without the occupier's content or warrant" -- enter property and premises where they can "contact" the operator of the facility. Opposition racing spokesperson Jann Stuckey said that the Palaszczuk government had "failed to consult the industry." Stuckey: "Labor’s all stick and no carrot approach has crushed confidence across all three codes of Queensland’s racing industry. The industry is concerned that a new integrity body is raising more questions than it is providing answers." Racing Australia Chair John Messara has also criticized "the proposed new governance structure for Queensland Racing." He was doubtful that "bureaucratising that function" of ensuring integrity in the sport would achieve a better outcome. Messara: "While I am not privy to the finer detail of Queensland's proposed model, I am personally not in favor of having one integrity unit undertaking those functions for the three codes" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 3/8).
