Dear Minister GraceI write with urgency regarding the Queensland Harness Training Centre.
I was elated when I first read of Queensland’s plans for the QHTC but overnight that elation has turned to devastation with the release of the indicative master plan which revealed the location.
The centre is being built in the most unsuitable location right next door to the QLD Motor Plex, a motor racing and training centre.
The noise, particularly the intermittent nature of it, is dangerous to horses who are highly sensitive fight or flight creatures, particularly racehorses, which causes them to frequently injure themselves when the fight or flight response is triggered. In turn this makes them dangerous to the people handling them.
Horse people are horse people because they love horses Minister not because they love motor racing. The proximity of the motor plex will create noise issues through out the stabling complex which will contribute to poor mental health for trainers, who already frequently experience poor mental health as a result of the nature and responsibilities of their occupation and the very variable level of income it generates.
Racing Queensland should have consulted horsemen and women before they purchased that particular property at Norwell but clearly they didn’t.
They should also have consulted before they released the draft layout of the centre as there are multiple fundamental flaws in design in addition to the appalling choice of location.
Stop this now Minister Grace and review the location and planning on which the future of Harness racing in QLD depends.
I have been a horse person all my life Minister, over five decades now, and travelled the globe to horse venues and facilities during it. I intended to relocate from (SOMEWHERE) to QLD Minister, to the QHTC, but not now Minister not to that.
Yours Sincerely
Reggie Redacted
Dear Minister – From Reggie
