It remains unclear whether Warrnambool Racing Club will continue to hold a licence to administer permits for horse training on beaches under a draft government plan for managing south-west beaches.
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Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Downs defended the club’s handling of the permit system and said he was hopeful it would hold licences for training spots proposed under the plan, including Killarney Beach, Rutledge’s Cutting, a five-kilometre stretch from Levys Point and Golfies.
In October last year, Moyne Shire councillor Colin Ryan said the club “had a lot to answer for” after small-scale local trainers represented by South West Owners, Trainers and Riders Association secretary Tammy Good said they missed out on permits in favour of a handful high-profile, large-scale trainers.
The club started administering the permit system in the middle of last year after being granted a licence to do so from the state government. Mr Downs denied trainers had missed out, and described Cr Ryan’s criticism as “a bit strange”.
“When we’ve put out our permits we put an expression of interest out to all trainers and no trainer that put in an expression of interest was denied,” he said.
Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) regional manager of land and built environment programs Greg Leece said the Environment Minister had the final say on issuing licences, with advice from the department and Parks Victoria.
“The day-to-day compliance with licence conditions sits with Parks Victoria,” he said. “Warrnambool Racing Club is currently the licensee for two sites on the Belfast Coastal Reserve. DELWP issued the licence to Warrnambool Racing Club to manage access.”
Conservation body the Victorian National Parks Association calculated the licence meant commercial horse trainers paid as little as $2 per horse per day to train on public beaches.
The licence allows up 50 horses to train daily at an 800-metre stretch of beach at Golfies between December 1 and March 1, and up to 20 horses between March 2 and November 30.
It also allows up to 15 horses per day to train between May 1 to August 31 on a 1200-metre stretch of beach from the Rutledge’s Cutting middle car park east towards Levys Beach.