Now I am not a registered lawyer, so I can’t give you legal advice, and won’t.
But I can give you a couple of important tips.
In the course of doing something recently, I had cause to look very closely at the Rules of Greyhound Racing, and their interaction with the law prescribed in the Racing Integrity Act.
What I found surprised me.
As a consequence of a case taken some years ago by Jim Murdoch QC, all QRIC Stewards are now Authorised Officers under the Act.
That means that that they have to comply with the Act in everything they do that it mentions, even when it conflicts with what the rules say they can do.
For example, under the rules a Steward has a near blanket authority to come onto your registered training property to perform out of competition testing, and there is nothing that you can do about it, you have to let them in.
BUT …. under the Act they cannot come onto your property to do random testing unless you give them permission to come on.
You don’t have to give it, it is your choice.
Unless they have a properly issued warrant, or they have reason to suspect that an animal welfare offence is occurring, or in animal is suffering and requires relief, they can only enter your place if you agree.
There is no comeback on you if you don’t.
None.
If you do choose to agree to let them on, you can place conditions on their entry.
You can say you can only come on if you wear ballet shoes, because I don’t want the gravel in the driveway displaced by your wearing boots, and they have to do it otherwise they can’t come in.
While they are on your property you can withdraw your consent to them being there too, just by saying “I withdraw my consent for you to be here, please get off”, and they have to do it.
The obvious thing to do is refuse consent to their entry up from.
Just say no.
It’s your right.
You don’t go into their homes or yards do you?
So why should they come into yours?
It gets better.
They can’t search your car as you come into the track either, not unless they have a warrant or reason to suspect that you are committing an offence against the Act or the rules.
Random searches are not a reason.
Unless they have grounds to suspect you are guilty of something, they have no legal right to toss your car.
And why should they have?
It’s your personal property, and you might have things in their that you don’t want them to see.
Things like naked photos of your missus on the visor, or a dildo in the glovebox, or a wad of cash for the plunge you are going to launch tonight, or messages from your gay lover, or your kid’s medical records.
None of that is any of the Stewards business, not unless they have reasonable cause to suspect that you have a needle filled with EPO or something under the seat, which 999 times of 100 they don’t.
We’ve all been conned.
The Stewards have been overstepping the mark big time, and exceeding their powers.
By doing so they are breaking the law.
This is fair dinkum.
Unless they can explain to you why they suspect you are or about to commit an offence, stay right where you are in the drivers seat, and just say no.
Do the same when they come to your property too.
What benefit is there to you in saying yeah sure, come in?
Absolutely none.
And you don’t have to either.