MPs ‘day at the races’

Greg Urell, Koonung Province MP Helen Buckingham, Mitcham MP Tony Robinson, Colin Aldersea, Cranbourne MP Jude Perera, David Hawke, Eltham MP Steve Herbert, John Finning, Bruce Purcell, Wendy Kelly, Lisa Hocking, Hastings MP Rosy Buchanan, Cranbourne Turf Club CEO Yvonne Blackwood and Mark Close visited the Cranbourne Training Complex last week.

THE Cranbourne Training Complex impressed State Government representatives during a whirlwind visit last week.
The Friends of Racing Committee members of parliament toured the facility during a regular race meeting on Friday and were overwhelmed by the diversity and scale of training activities.
Eltham MP Steve Herbert said its potential for future development was enormous.
“It’s a tremendous asset for the local area and a focal point to attract trainers and breeders to the Cranbourne region,” he said.
Mitcham MP Tony Robinson said he was extremely impressed by the professionalism and top class talent of all involved at the complex.
“I’m sure it will continue to attract interest from some of Victoria’s major racing identities,” he said.
Cranbourne MP Jude Perera welcomed the visit from fellow politicians across Melbourne, claiming it was great to see them displaying such an interest in the centre’s development.
“The Friends of Racing certainly gained a unique insight into the great contribution that the complex is making to the Victorian racing industry,” he said.
Racing Victoria CEO Robert Nason spoke to the committee about the major plans in store for the complex, including a proposal to construct a largescale oncourse stabling centre to accommodate up to 450 horses.
He said plans were also in place to ‘droughtproof’ the complex by accessing treated effluent water via the Eastern Irrigation Scheme pipeline.
“The Cranbourne Training Complex is already the biggest training centre in Australia, but we need to expand and improve it further to meet the increasing demand for high quality training facilities,” he said.
“The support of the Friends of Racing in achieving this goal is greatly appreciated across the racing industry.”