|
|
|
|
|
Updated
- 20 April, 2007
|
|
|
|
Presidents Reports
Mike Becker TBA President (Elected 13/04/2007)
|
|
|
|
Presidents
Occasional Reports
Richard
Turnley TBA President (Retired 13/04/2007)
|
|
|
I
have headed this report as occasional deliberately so that no one will be under
false impression that I will be contributing on a regular weekly basis but
rather when issues arise or time permits. |
|
|
|
OUTGOING PRESIDENT FAREWELLS TBA
|
19/04/2007
|
|
Last Friday, I retired as President and as a director of Thoroughbred
Breeders Australia after some 15 years association. It seems to me that is a good time and place to
say thank you to the many people that I have met and who have helped me especially in my lengthy
term as President. I will also indulge myself in some reminiscing on this site which I helped
establish some 8 or 9 years ago, and which is so widely used in Australia and overseas.
Let me first start at home. Australian thoroughbred breeding has
changed so much over the past 15 years that friction and problems were inevitable. The number of
stallions has reduced by more than 60% and there has been an influx of overseas shuttle stallions
that has been coupled with aggressive and persuasive advertising that many former stallion studs
have been swept away. The emphasis on overseas marketing of Australian yearlings has been extensive
and a new mentality and modus operandi have been introduced into the industry. The racing industry
has become a slave to the various totalisator authorities and, in the desire to maximize returns,
the traditional bush racing has been minimalised. That has meant that many established breeders who
bred for country racing have disappeared. In the commercial area, the number of vendors at yearling
sales has reduced significantly. The ability of most breeders in the industry to operate even at a
small profit has reduced but we have seen the increased wealth of the major studs. Quite frankly, I
preferred things as they were before.
Against that scene, which is probably common in many countries, it has
not been easy to work for the good of all breeders. It has been difficult to encourage them to
either join or remain in an industry where the odds have swung against them. However, the TBA has
done its best and has tried to make the breeding of thoroughbreds as enjoyable and as equitable as
possible. The Association works for stallion owners and mare owners and for commercial breeders and
for owner breeders and it is for this reason it is an important body.
I took over as President at a time when the Association had no officer
and no operating premises and had withdrawn from most local and overseas bodies. I am indebted to
all the people who have served on the TBA with me, and who have helped me rebuild the association.
The process has not been without a few problems but today we have an association that has a very
good base to go forward. The President of the Victorian branch, Mike Becker, takes over from me and
I am very happy with that, as he has been a wonderful vice president for many years.
I am delighted that, at my last meeting I signed the Heads of
Agreement that enabled Aushorse to take a position on the TBA.
Australia is a major breeding country and needs a marketing authority
and it is good that that body should be part of the TBA. There have been concerns by many breeders
that a few major commercial studs in NSW may have undue influence on the industry if they took a
unique position on the TBA. It has taken some time to negotiate an Agreement that ensured that these
concerns were met but I believe that a good balance has now been struck.
In Australia, I have been most fortunate to had very good working and
personal relationships with the various Chairmen of the VRC and the AJC who own the Australian Stud
Book and also with the Keepers of the Stud Book. This was a great help to me and I would like to
thank them all. The relationship between the ASB and the breeders is most important and at times,
the ASB is put in very difficult situations by the demands of some specific groups. I believe the
close relationship between the TBA and the ASB has been most important in ensuring that there have
been fair outcomes for all types of breeders. The VRC and the AJC have been very good custodians for
all breeders.
On the overseas front, I have attended, as a delegate of the TBA,
nearly every Asian Breeders Conference and International Breeders Meeting since 1991. I have had the
good fortune to meet many wonderful people and to have made many presentations about our industry.
During my term with the TBA, I saw the Australian Racing Board
established and for about 15 years, I served on the Australian Pattern Committee, 7 years as
Chairman. This has always been a very hard working committee that has been hampered by it’s lack
of independence. It was a great pleasure to lead this group when it totally overhauled the processes
of allocating black type in Australia. This was against the most bizarre opposition from Queensland.
My battles with the ARB were always on the basis that they should have let the Pattern Committee do
it’s work and only be involved if the criteria was being flouted. Never the less, the TBA and the
ARB executive have worked well together and Andrew Harding has been able to serve his masters
without too much compromise.
I have never believed that the TBA should be an over aggressive
organisation and I do not believe the President should be either. I hope that by proper and decent
conduct, more can be achieved. But at times, there are issues where it is necessary to be strong and
vocal and I hope that when I may have trodden on a few feet those occasions can be forgotten.
Here are a few dot points on various issues and subjects over the
period I have been with the TBA and in no particular order.
-
I was glad when Australia had a lengthy debate on the legality and
the benefits of the ban on AI. I believe our approach was very sound and that the ban is legal and
necessary to maintain the genetic pool. I, personally do not support Service reinforcement and my
view was unanimously endorsed by the board.
-
When I am constantly offered the opinion by Northern Hemisphere
people that Australian racing is inferior to theirs, I boil. These statements can not be supported
by any evidence and in fact. it is far easier to prove the reverse. At present, Australia has the
best and most diverse line up of stallions in the world, it has an outstanding herd of brood mares
and the climate, tracks and the professionalism of the participants are the best in the world. The
problem is because of the age differences, the inability of many thoroughbreds in training to
travel well and other factors most top Australian do not compete against horses from the other
hemisphere. This, for some unknown reason leads to a view that Australian horses must be inferior.
Just as our cricketers, golfers, equestrians, rugby players and swimmers are!
-
I am delighted that the International Breeders Meeting will be held
in Australia in March 2008. I believe that these meetings have reached a point where they can be
used to even greater mutual advantage. We will not try to match the Japanese who hosted a gala
conference but I am sure the Victorians will do an excellent job in hosting the event. In
contrast, the Asian Racing Conferences have become a Las Vegas circus and are, at best, an
indulgence.
It is very hard work operating a thoroughbred stud on a hands on basis
and it is even more difficult when you also are doing voluntary work for the industry. There have
never been enough hours in the day and as the years rolled on and as I had a few leg operations, I
felt I was slowing down considerably.
|
|
|
For a long time, I have not been able to enjoy all the other
wonderful things in life and I have a very wide range of interests, which I am now going to
pursue. I will now have time to read, learn more languages, attend concerts, look at sporting
events and keep my friendships in good repair.
I have relocated for much of the year to the Dominican Republic
and will lead una vida latina. I take with me many wonderful memories and good friends in both
breeding and racing and I hope that all may visit me in my Caribbean paradise.
RICHARD TURNLEY
|
|
|
|
AUSHORSE TAKES A SEAT ON TBA BOARD
|
19/04/2007
|
|
|
|
Last Friday, Mike Becker and I signed a heads of agreement with
Ken Barry and John Messara, representing Aushorse, which cleared the way for Aushorse to take a
position on the TBA as a quasi state.
I have had quite a few calls from breeders expressing some
concerns, so I wish to state some details that I think will stop any anxiety.
|
|
The thoroughbred industry has changed dramatically over the past 15
years and today we see the commercial market dominated by a relatively small number of breeders,
probably less than 40 in the total breeder population of over 7000. These commercial breeders invest
enormous amounts of money into infrastructure, bloodstock and labour. They must have good marketing
and good sales to make a return on this investment. Aushorse has represented these commercial
breeders.
The TBA represents all breeders and has branches in each state but the
marketing is very generic and broad based, it does not concentrate on individual buyers. It deals
with a wide range of issues that impact upon all breeders but sometimes very significantly on the
commercial breeders.
That Aushorse had to join the main body was obvious but on what terms.
That has been the problem for too many years.
Last Friday, we agreed to amend the TBA constitution to enable
Aushorse to join the TBA. We also changed the voting structure from a sliding voting structure that
broadly reflected the mare numbers in each state to a structure of one vote per member body. We have
agreed that instead of just the small number of commercial breeders having the benefit of the name
Aushorse, it will be used by all breeders in Australia.
There were various other changes to the constitution in the heads of
agreement to ensure that the TBA enhanced its role as a body looking after the interests of all
breeders regardless of location or size.
I have personally been working on this issue for at least a decade and
I wish to thank Tas Reilly and Michael Ryan especially for their contributions. I think the
agreement will work well and be to the benefit of the industry
|
|
MEETINGS WITH THE TAX OFFICE
|
2/11/2006
|
|
The Australian Taxation Office has been conducting audits into the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry, which has resulted in some concerns from many breeders. As a result, representatives of the TBA and the ATO have had series of meetings, which have been very productive from both sides.
One of the main concerns has been the interpretation by the current audit team of whether a breeder is conducting his breeding operations as a hobby or a business. The TBA has presented many arguments that there are many different ways of conducting a business when breeding and that it is almost impossible to have a set of rules that will embrace all circumstances.
Without going into all the details I am happy to report that I believe that the ATO may review their approach. They stressed that they had no intent of causing unnecessary fear or panic and that they appreciated that our industry was a valuable one for rural Australia and that it was not involved with the cash economy.
Much of our discussions have revolved around what is called TR 93/26, which was written when the industry was different than it is today. This tax ruling is currently being revised and a series of meetings in Melbourne, Sydney and in Brisbane between the ATO and the industry has taken place. These are in addition to the meetings that the TBA has been involved in and which have focused on the current audit and the interim period.
|
|
TBA AGAIN AT THE ASIAN RACING CONFERENCE
|
02/11/2006
|
|
The TBA will be in Dubai in January and will have a marketing stand. We have been at every conference since 1990 and have had a marketing stand since they were introduced at the Bangkok meeting.
Visit the official ARC Website
http://www.arcdubai2007.com
|
|
INTERNATIONAL BREEDERS MEETING IN TOKYO
|
03/06/2006
|
|
The International Breeders Meeting was hosted by the Japanese
Thoroughbred Breeders in May 2006, the first time the meeting has been conducted in Asia. The
meeting coincided with the running of the Japanese Derby. The Japanese could not have been more
hospitable or better organised and the meeting was a great success both in terms of fostering
goodwill between the various breeding countries and in the interesting agenda.
There was great interest in various subjects where Australia has led
the way. Firstly, the meeting reviewed the change in determining the year of birth away from the
actual date of birth to the date of conception. I reported to the meeting that the change had been a
great success and I think there are other countries who will now follow this method.
The second subject was the agreement between the ASB and the TBA that
a stallion farm could block a mare return if the service fee had not been paid when it fell due. The
TBA had spent a great deal of time working out conditions so that mare owners would be treated
fairly and the conversations in Tokyo mirrored our own. I believe that other countries will use
almost the same conditions if they implement a similar scheme.
These meetings are held every 18 months and are normally conducted
without elaborate infrastructure.
|
|
AUSTRALIA TO HOST NEXT MEETING
|
03/06/2006
|
|
I have much pleasure in advising that the next International Breeders
Meeting will be hosted by Australia in late summer 2008. The Canadians, who were scheduled to host
the next meeting graciously agreed to let Australia go ahead and will now host the meeting after
Australia. Plans have already commenced to ensure that the meeting will benefit both Australian and
international breeders.
|
|
OUTSTANDING RIRDC PUBLICATIONS
|
03/06/2006
|
|
Derek Field kindly filled in for me recently in attending a meeting of
RIRDC that discussed and planned the next 5 years priorities for equine research. Previously, we had
made representations that we wished a study to be made on tracks and on racehorse injuries. I was,
therefore, very pleased to receive a copy of the latest RIRDC publication which is called Risk
Factors for Injuries in Thoroughbred Racehorses. I will not summarize the report but I regard it as
essential reading for any one who wishes to engage in serious debate on this subject.
Also RIRDC has published a great publication called Plants Poisonous
to Horses. It is full of pictures of all the plants that cause all the problems and also contains
advice on the elimination of these plants. It is also an essential read.
|
|
TAXATION IN THE THOROUGHBRED INDUSTRY
|
03/06/2006
|
|
The TBA has requested the Victorian and the South Australian
Presidents to work with industry and to meet with the Commonwealth Government and the ATO in an
effort to make the various taxation issues fairer to both breeders and owners. There are four issues
that are being addressed
-
The need to change the write down provisions to match those in NZ.
-
The need to ensure that our exports are GST free.
-
The need to permit capital losses on the disposal of a racehorse to
be matched against capital profits on the sale of a racehorse.
-
The need to ensure that there are fair and easy to follow rules for
owners and breeders on who can and can not register for GST and thus claim rebates for GST paid on
racehorse expenditure
|
| BIG CONCERNS AT THE ASIAN
RACING CONFERENCE |
12/03/2003 |
|
The
29th Asian Racing Conference took place in Auckland, New Zealand between the 1st
and 6th March 2003 with a full array of racing, social events, meetings,
conference papers and discussions conducted in a good atmosphere. The conference
was extremely well organised and administered, and it would have been most
difficult for anyone who attended not to have left with a greater understanding
of the racing and breeding industry throughout the region and the world. Well
done, New Zealand.
There were some quite outstanding papers delivered, most with all the technical
communication aids that appear on screens as graphs, slides, flow charts,
photographs and so on, but it may be unfair if I singled these out.
Instead, I would like to concentrate on three areas of great concern to the
breeding industry in Australia that were widely discussed at the conference.
The first is the subject of betting exchanges and internet betting that has the
potential to destroy racing in the Pacific and Asian region by operating without
returning funds to the industry as do the legal totes. Almost four years ago, at
a previous ARF meeting, a professional punter from Holland actually gave a
demonstration on how he bet on line and at the meeting all the heavies in racing
administration were present and everyone saw the potential problems ahead.
At the Auckland meeting it became quite apparent that next to nothing has been
done to counter the internet betting and in fact the delegate from the
International Federation of Horse Associations said they would appoint someone
in Paris with a budget of US$75000 to deal with the problem next month and
lawyers said they would seek uniform legislation to ban the exchanges and
introduce a good neighbour policy. Yes, prohibition. I met no one who was not
aghast at the ineptitude and tardiness of the official response to the problem.
Currently the threat is from people whom, at least, superficially seem most
pleasant but the prospect of quick easy money will soon attract criminal
elements who will totally disregard any laws. These people have to be beaten at
their own game through commercial and technological supremacy.
The second point is that an administrative nightmare is unfolding with the
thoroughbred industry witnessing the biggest growth area in the world … racing
administration. It is displaying a great example of negative correlation because
as the number of runners decreases, so does the cost of administration
increases. At present, working the way up the tree, there is the club
administration, then often the rural or provincial administration, then the
state administration as in the principal clubs, then the national administration
as in the Australian Racing Board, then the Asian Racing Federation and finally
the IFHA in Paris. All are trying to justify their existence with endless
committees and in the end what is being achieved apart from spending money that
should be put into prize money or research? Just to give an example, a charming
young lady representing the Equine Pharmaceutical Industry informed the meeting
that the Australian Rules of Racing had been altered so that some worming pastes
and anti-biotics were no longer prohibited substances. To which a gentleman from
England tore his hair out because the ARB did not have permission from Europe.
And who was supposed to safeguard our industry from the betting exchanges and
other internet betting shops. All talk and little action between the layer upon
layer of administration is now stifling the industry so that speed in decision
making and implementation is quite impossible.
Needless to say some people thrive in tripping around the region and the world
and seek to not only perpetuate their current activities but to increase them no
matter if the results of their deliberations have no benefit.
The third area of concern is also obvious to see. For many decades Australian
breeders have imported high class breeding stock from England, Europe and the
USA to augment the champions that have been retired from the Australian turf.
This importation of quality blood stock accelerated from 1991 with the
introduction of dual hemisphere horses and Australia has been standing racing
and breeding champions from America, Ireland, England and France which have
achieved success in roughly the same the ratio as locally bred stallions. At the
same time racecourses have been maintained at high levels and the sport has
achieved a popularity that the Europeans can only dream of. Our best races as
set out in the Group and Listed Races listings are compiled on criteria and
ratios far more conservative and demanding than those in the northern
hemisphere. So with pedigrees, racecourses, prize money, trainers and jockeys
that are at least the equivalent to those in Northern Hemisphere, there is no
logical reason why Australian racing should not be considered to be in the top
drawer.
However, one of these new committees that have been formed in the administrative
layers is producing international classifications of racehorses that denigrate
the Australian thoroughbred industry to such an extent that it looks second
class to those in Europe. The breeders, the owners and the sales companies are
most concerned at how our elite horses are being treated in the classifications
and the question that I asked at Auckland is whether it is worthwhile being in a
system that gives us only nominal or token acknowledgement. The only blessing is
that in a room of about 200 to 300 racing people only five had looked at the
classifications which may indicate the interest that is in them but nevertheless
they are their in black and white downgrading the Australian industry.
For many years, most Australians have quietly endured the condescending and
patronising attitudes of some European racing officials whom I suppose genuinely
believe that their horses and pattern races are better than ours,
notwithstanding the lack of any evidence. This is the first time that they have
sought to quantify their attitudes in ratings and at the Auckland meeting I
recommended that unless the Australian horses and races were adequately
recognised Australia should not be part of the ratings.
The answer from the Europeans and I include Hong Kong is probably that
Australian horses will have to participate internationally a lot more to receive
better ratings but why should they just to satisfy a group of handicappers when
there are adequate races at home. The evidence of equality can still be
assessed.
I know that I have full support from most racing people in Australia and the
region on this subject and I can only repeat that it is far better for us to be
solely part of the ANZ ratings where 99.9 % of our horses race than be part of
an international model that will not properly recognise us.
| AUCKLAND SUCCESS FOR EVERYONE |
10/03/2003 |
|
|
The
Asian Racing Conference in Auckland was attended by racing officials, owners and
breeders from more than 28 countries, and the 5 or 6 days were packed with
interest.
I am
glad to say that the TBA stand in the conference hotel that was prepared and
manned by our secretary, James Peters, and which was jammed full of brochures
from organisations and associations within the Australian thoroughbred industry
was constantly busy. Tons of brochures, papers, guides and magazines were
distributed to delegates and I am sure that everyone who sent material to the
TBA for the stand would have been delighted at the response.
The New Zealand and the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Boards also had stands,
which were popular with the delegates. It is always difficult to know what will
be the top seller, because in Bangkok two years ago, it was the big photos of a
stallion, where as in Auckland several booklets were on demand.
The next conference will be in Korea in 2005, God willing, and of course we will
be there also.
Richard Turnley
10th March 2003
|
VALE JOHN KELLY SNR
|
25/02/2003 |
|
|
The
founder of Newhaven Park Stud, Boorowa NSW, John William Kelly, has died at the
age of 86 and with this death the Australian thoroughbred breeding industry has
lost one of it's last post war heroes. In the beautiful rolling countryside of
the southern slopes of NSW, between Boorowa and Cowra, John Kelly built a
thoroughbred stud that was to become the equal of any in Australia. The
concentration was on quality bloodstock and animal care and not on pretentious
infrastructure. The results were outstanding both in the sales rings and on the
track.
John
Kelly served on the committees of the NSW Bloodhorse Breeders Association where
he was Treasurer and also on the Australian Bloodhorse Breeders Association.
For
most breeders, the memory of John Kelly is associated in two ways. Firstly he is
remembered in connection with the two great stallions, Wilkes and Luskin Star
which stood at Newhaven, although there were other great horses at the stud.
Secondly, he is remembered sitting behind the auctioneer's right shoulder at the
Inglis Sydney sales, always dressed in coat, collar, tie and clean boots,
assessing every horse as it entered the ring and writing the price and comments
in his catalogue.
In
his later years, John Kelly suffered from ill health and was not often seen. I
only knew John Kelly in the last 35 years of his life, having purchased several
fillies from his drafts and later on Victory Prince by Imperial Prince who stood
at Newhaven from the great Newhaven Valour family. After Victory prince had
sired Tierce, which later went to stand at stud at Newhaven, John Kelly came and
visited Victory Prince at Sutton Forest and we got to know each other better.
A
full obituary will appear in the TBNSW Update and the web sites next month.
Rest
eternal. And may light perpetual shine upon him.
Richard
Turnley
President
Thoroughbred
Breeders Australia.
| CLEARING
UP A FEW GST BLUES |
15/01/2003 |
|
|
In
recent days there have been several reports that overseas buyers coming to
Australia, are unable to keep their yearlings that they have purchased GST free
in Australia for more than 60 days. In most cases this is not correct. In fact,
by applying to the Australian Taxation Office and receiving a GST number, not
only will the overseas buyers have the GST on their purchases refunded, but they
will also have all their GST on agistment, veterinary bills, handling costs and
floating refunded. Further more, the horses can stay in Australia for an
indefinite period so they can be fully mature and broken in when they leave to
their racing country.
The process is very simple. The overseas buyer can personally apply, or can use
an agent to apply to the ATO for a GST registration number. Evidence must be
provided to satisfy the enterprise test, that is part of the GST Act, such as a
copy of a certificate of registration, or whatever the ATO requires, and either
the agent or the overseas buyer must have a bank account in Australia.
The Australian Taxation Office has recently further improved it's service, by
agreeing that a statement from the revenue authority in the home country
certifying the status of the non resident will be sufficient. The Australian
Taxation Office has had officers on the Gold Coast at the Magic Million Sale to
assist the process, and they have indicated that they will have officers at
other sales.
There are still a few problems in relation to those buyers who can not meet the
enterprise test, but talks are continuing to overcome these problems in time for
the sales in Adelaide and Perth. These mainly relate to individual purchasers
from Asia. Buyers from New Zealand normally ship their purchases back home
within the 60 days GST free period.
Compared to other countries the GST in Australia is still very new and the
Thoroughbred Breeding Industry and the Australian Taxation Office are working
together to ensure that the GST Act is complied with, but in a way that assists
our export market.
As agents, buyers and breeders become more familiar with the process there will
be fewer problems. The simple rule is that overseas buyers should register for
GST and they will find then that Australia is the best place to buy
thoroughbreds.
Richard Turnley
President
Thoroughbred Breeders Australia
| 2002
IN REVIEW |
10/12/2002 |
|
|
2002
started well for most thoroughbred breeders in Australia as they saw most
yearling sales at least hold steady if not increase on the prices of the
previous years and the continuing increases in prize money on the racetracks
help demand for horses be maintained.
Most
breeders have now worked out for themselves that the shuttle stallions from the
northern hemisphere have just as much chance as failing as the Australian horses
and that there is a lot more in financially sound mating than merely visiting an
overseas stallion. The sad story was that Danehill did not return to Australia,
which is the country that has established him as a mega star. It is some
consolation that he has numerous sons standing at stud throughout Australia.
Australia
is the second largest racing country in the world and the vast majority of the
annual production races in the home country. Over the past 15 years or so
hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent by Australian breeders importing
mares from some of the best thoroughbred families in the USA, Ireland and
England and there is no doubt that the quality of our blood stock has been
enhanced. Nevertheless it is interesting to note that the majority of the group
winners in Australia still carry the wonderful blood of past Australian champion
stallions and especially Star Kingdom.
It
is not surprising that with the huge range of quality mares and with champions
of the turf from Europe, the United Kingdom, the USA and from Australia now
standing in Australia the demand for Australian horses from overseas buyers has
increased. There is no country in the world that can offer such a diverse range
of quality yearlings.
The
TBA has been working with the Australian Taxation Office and the Treasury to
make the recently introduced GST regulations easier for overseas buyers to
comply with. We still have some way to go before we can say that we can be happy
that the interpretation of the act is neutral to overseas sales.
The
TBA also played a major part in preventing the outbreak of Viral Abortion that
occurred early in the stud season becoming more of a disaster. The press, radio
and television all helped us in spreading the message quickly that there was an
urgent need for sound isolation policies on studs and that pregnant mares should
be foaled down at home where ever possible.
The
TBA has been pleased to play it’s part through out the year with racing and
veterinary authorities as well as with the auction houses. Procedures relating
to the X raying of yearlings at sales were worked out and have already been
tried at the ready to run sales. The cost of the x-rays will be met by breeders.
The
TBA has two representatives on the Australian Group and Listed Races Committee
and this committee met twice during the year. Australia is the only country
where the background, criteria and guidelines for the black type races are fully
disclosed on the ARB web site and in a publication.
During
the year the TBA welcomed and hosted many people from overseas the latest
delegation being from South Korea. Thanks go to the studs and race clubs for
their assistance.
The
TBA web site continues to grow in popularity and in the number of hits and is
accessed by people from around the world. Because we maintain our independence
we do not feature in some of the closed awards but it is generally considered
that the Australian site is world class.
Finally,
from the start of the breeding season to the present time the drought has
relentlessly tightened it’s grip on most thoroughbred areas though out
Australia. It is highly likely that the 2003 foal crop will be at least 15% less
than this year as breeders elect not to mate or mares decide not to carry their
pregnancy to full term. The impact on this drought will be felt for many years
and will flow through to the racing industry. The Board of the TBA can do little
to assist in a practical sense those breeders who are suffering in the
conditions but our hopes and prayers are for good rains in the near future.
May
Christmas and the New Year bring peace to us.
Richard
Turnley
10th
December 2002
| AUSTRALIA
PRAYS FOR RAIN |
09/12/2002 |
|
|
No
one living in the eastern states of Australia has seen anything like the
widespread drought that has now established itself in nearly every corner of
Queensland, NSW and Victoria. West of the Great Dividing Range the pastures have
been totally devastated and thousands of native animals and birds together with
cattle and sheep have perished from the lack of feed and water. Graziers have
been forced to slaughter their breeding stock that have been accumulated over
decades and the grain production this year will decline by over 57% from the
previous year.
All thoroughbred breeders have already been affected by the
drought as feed prices skyrocket and water becomes scarce. Mercifully parts of
South Australia and Western Australia have been spared and huge shipments of
oats from Western Australia at unheard of prices are keeping many studs and
trainers going for the time being.
In
NSW the big dry has led to a massive outbreak of bush fires along the ranges
ranging from the Hunter Valley to the Bega Valley. On some days there are over
80 fires burning out of control.
It
is a desperate time but we are most fortunate that the terrible loss of life
that has been caused by the long drought throughout Africa has not occurred in
Australia. Nevertheless it is a time to reflect and to hope and pray that rain
will soon arrive and prevent further suffering to so many country people and
livestock who suffer enough in the changing economic environment.
Richard
Turnley
9th
December 2002
| GST
AND HORSE EXPORTS |
20/07/2002 |
|
|
Unlike
England, Ireland and New Zealand we have had a GST or VAT in Australia for only
a very few years and at present the thoroughbred breeding industry is having a
few difficulties in making the GST act export friendly. I believe that the
situation was the same in New Zealand when their GST act was introduced and that
in order to make the act work there was a need to make what can be called
variations on a theme. In Australia we will get it all working well fairly soon
but it may need a few meetings between breeders and the Tax Office and Treasury
in the mean time. The results of our latest meeting are in the latest news
section of this site and I would recommend that they be read.
Richard
Turnley
20
July 2002
|
|
Australian
breeders who are registered for GST recently received a flyer from the
Australian Taxation Office in their mail entitled GST and Horse Exports and
probably almost keeled over at some of the statements in the flyer. The
requirements set out in the flyer are completely contrary to the procedures that
have been agreed to between the industry and the ATO. Many of the requirements
have been made retrospectively and breeders will have no chance of meeting them.
In addition the procedures that were only agreed to in March 2002 have already
been altered and the procedure for dealing with GST pre 25th March
2002 are entirely different to the procedures post 25th March.
One
of the most amazing statements that is made is that horses that have been broken
in prior to export are liable for GST . This statement is made although there is
a draft ruling and a letter to the Australian Racing Board that breaking in is
necessary as a pre export function prior to export to most Asian countries. As
everyone knows most Asian countries will not take a horse until it has matured
and is broken in.
The
TBA and Aushorse have written to the ATO complaining in the strongest terms
about the statements in the flyer, the retrospective nature of the requirements
and the mishandling of the issue of GST and horse exports.
In
addition the two associations will be seeking to meet urgently with the
Treasurer and the Minister for Trade in Canberra in order to resolve this issue.
It is totally frustrating for breeders and agents and can very easily be
resolved by common sense. Any progress on the issue will be placed immediately
on this website
| Professor
Rose Stands Down (a
bit) |
04/03/2002 |
|
|
Professor
Reuben Rose has been the Programme Manager of the Equine Research and
Development Programme in Australia since 1995, but recently announced that he
would be standing down from that position, although he would continue on the
committee for a time to enable a smooth transfer to his successor to take
place.
At
a function held last week at Sydney University, Reuben gave a frank speech about
his role in the R and D programme, and I could not help but think how good he is
at motivating right to the end. He said quite sincerely that he took the job
because he thought he was the best for it and I agree. Right from the start this
programme could have | | | | | |
PRESIDENTS
REPORT
