Mandurah Greyhound trainers fear potential sale of TAB

Mandurah greyhound trainers fear the potential sale of the State-owned TAB could lead to the demise of the sport.

WA's three racing codes - greyhound, thoroughbred and harness - have raised concerns about the future of their industry after the State Government placed the TAB on its list of assets which could be sold to cut WA's debt.

WA Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association spokesman Steve Withers said the group were not opposed to the sale of the TAB but were concerned for the entire racing community.

"Any such sale should not render our highly successful State racing industry any worse off under privatisation," he said.

"Returning millions of dollars in tax revenue to State Government each year is much more important than just a financial business because it employs thousands of people, some of whom have never had any other form of employment."

Mr Withers said there were more than 200 registered trainers in the State, all of whom made a living at the Mandurah facility. "There are three race meetings a week at Mandurah, where 280 greyhounds compete for prize money," he said.

Mr Withers said a further 140 dogs used the track weekly to train for races.

WA Racing and Training Association president Michael Grant said he did not oppose privatisation but feared it could handicap an industry which directly employed more than 33,000 people.

He said the State Government made $70 million in taxes a year from the industry and TAB profits enabled Racing and Wagering WA to distribute $126 million to facilities around WA.

Having seen the detrimental impact of TAB privatisation in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania, Mr Grant formed a WA racing representative group with industry chiefs from thoroughbred, harness and dog racing.

The group hopes the Government will hold off making a decision until a review is undertaken.

Premier Colin Barnett said the sale of TAB was "unlikely to be looked at in the short term because of the complexities".