Should the ACT Government fund horse racing? Photo: File.
Amid mounting energy woes around the country, the ACT has been a standout as the value of long-term renewable energy contracts becomes clearer. But not all of you are convinced about the worth for ordinary consumers.
Canberra’s current lower bills come courtesy of the ACT Government’s 2012 decision to enter into renewable energy contracts at a time when there was a great deal of uncertainty in the industry and prices were low.
But it’s not all plain sailing into a wind and solar-powered future: last year, electricity prices increased by an average of $3.76 per week for a typical Canberra household due to a 36.91 per cent increase in network costs.
We asked, Do you support the ACT’s renewable energy commitment? A total of 487 readers voted.
Your choices to vote were: No, it’s an expensive frolic from the Government. This received 44 per cent of the total, or 212 votes.
Alternatively, you could choose to vote Yes, it’s clean, green and now cheaper than elsewhere. This received 56 per cent of the total, or 275 votes.
This week, we’re wondering what you think about the future of horse racing in the ACT.
The Greens are saying time’s ups on public funding for the sport, but the government wants to update its current funding deal with the local industry for another five years.
The ACT Government currently provides millions of dollars in subsidies to the industry as part of an updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Canberra Racing Club and the Harness Racing Club. A new deal would be worth $40 million over five years, or an annual contribution of around $7.5 million from the public purse.
Negotiations are currently underway to extend that agreement, but when the draft MoU went to Cabinet last week, Greens Ministers formally refused to support it.
Jared James wrote: “I’ve driven by the horse racing place in Canberra a bunch of times. It’s always completely empty. I doubt anything much goes on there anymore and it certainly only employs a few people to keep the grass mowed.
“Time to call a spade a spade. It’s just another grift by the racing industry to secure funding from somewhere. I doubt anyone in Canberra would even notice if it disappeared.”
John Kovacs asked about the horse racing industry, casinos, and the influx of online gambling.
“Are they a helpful, productive part of society? Do ordinary people and animals benefit?”
But Nick Tyrrell observed, “Never get between the Greens and your money”.
“Horseracing ACT raises money for the government, and gets some of it back. If it leaves the ACT, there’s less money for public services. Slow clap.”
This week, we’re wondering:
Loading ...
