August 21-2026
The Rockliff Government has become a case study in paralysis when it comes to the three codes of Tasmanian racing. Critical decisions are piling up, deadlines are approaching, and the government continues to stall.
Its proposed mid‑2029 greyhound racing ban — a shock post‑election backflip announced last August — still hasn’t secured the parliamentary support needed to pass. The bill was quietly pulled from the Upper House once it became clear the government didn’t have the numbers. The policy remains in limbo, yet the threat hangs over the industry like a guillotine.
At the same time, the state is hurtling toward the end of the 20‑year racing funding agreement in July 2029. After that, there is no guaranteed government support for thoroughbred or harness racing. This is despite three consecutive racing ministers publicly insisting they back the industry. Words are cheap — and the government’s inaction tells a very different story.
Leadership at Tasracing is another unresolved mess. Gene Phair, chair since 2018, has already completed his maximum eight‑year term. The Racing Act requires his replacement. Yet the government has failed to appoint anyone — not a new chair, not even a new board member. Nothing.
Meanwhile, Phair has been appointed chair of Racing NT, heading a newly restructured body in the Northern Territory. His NT role begins later this year. It is impossible for him to lead both jurisdictions, meaning Tasmania is on the brink of losing its chair altogether — not because of scandal or crisis, but because the government simply hasn’t bothered to act.
This is happening during a period of major instability. Tasmania has churned through six racing ministers since Phair took the role. The latest, Roger Jaensch, stepped in on June 16 after Jane Howlett was forced to stand down. Jaensch is not a racing person and already carries multiple portfolios, including Tourism, Hospitality and Events. Racing is clearly not the priority.
The result is a racing industry stuck in a holding pattern, unable to plan, unable to attract new participants, and unable to trust the government that claims to support it. The issues are not complicated — they are simply ignored. And when the state eventually loses the tax revenue generated by racing, the same government will no doubt cry poor.
Tasmania’s racing industry isn’t just facing challenges. It’s facing a government that refuses to lead.
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