I rise on behalf of the Liberal Party to indicate our support for this very important bill. This bill is intended to amend the Port Pirie Racecourse Site Act 1946, enabling powers for the sublet of land for commercial application. Recently, the Minister for Racing indicated his intention to introduce the bill and that, of course, has been done as a hybrid bill, meaning that a select committee will be formed, and that is being dealt with.
The Port Pirie Harness Racing Club has been approached by developers who would like to secure crown land currently under the care and control of the club. The request is to establish a bulk goods major retail precinct to include the construction of a supermarket. The proposed development could involve an investment of in excess of $60 million and create a minimum of 200 jobs.
This land is subject to the 1946 act, which dictates the use of the land. Essentially, the racing club is hoping to change the act to enable it to lease the land to the developer and use the proceeds to upgrade their facilities. This bill seeks to amend the act to ensure that the minister has the power to lease or sell the land on the terms and conditions that he believes are appropriate.
The said land lies between the central business district of Port Pirie and the Centro shopping centre and is seen by the Port Pirie council as an ideal location for this type of development. Harness Racing South Australia says the amendment will enable the club to generate much-needed revenue for the club to reinvest in local racing at Port Pirie. Given that the Liberal Party consistently supports the racing industry, the harness racing industry and the greyhound racing industry, we are very pleased to support this bill and wish it a speedy passage.