The Tasmanian government has announced an independent investigation after an ABC report on allegations of team driving and race fixing by the state's most prominent harness racing stable.
On Sunday, an ABC investigation aired allegations of unusual races and betting patterns in races dominated by horses from trainer Ben Yole's stable, as well as concerns about animal welfare standards.
Following the report, opposition Labor and Greens parties called for a review of the state's racing watchdog, the Office of Racing Integrity (ORI), and its handling of investigations.
Industry insiders allege drivers from Mr Yole's stables work as a team to fix races, and claim the ORI has turned a blind eye to the problem.
On Monday, Racing Minister Madeleine Ogilvie announced an independent investigation into the allegations but said both its terms of reference and who would conduct it were still being finalised.
"It's obvious that this investigation needs to be independent, and independent of the [Office of Racing Integrity]," she said.
"Allegations have been around, allegations have been made and I've referred them to ORI, ORI have investigated those but it's clear we need the assurance of an independent investigation, which is why I've taken this decision today."
She said the ABC's report contained "some new information", prompting her announcement of the independent probe.
Racing stakeholders say they have regularly reported concerns about integrity matters in harness racing but received "inadequate" responses from Ms Ogilvie.
In an earlier statement, Ms Ogilvie said she had asked the ORI to "immediately and carefully review" the claims in the ABC's report "to determine what additional investigations may be required".
She said the ORI and its director of racing, Justin Helmich, were "well equipped to investigate allegations of rule breaches".
Reacting to allegations raised in the ABC report, opposition racing spokesman Dean Winter said it was the "darkest day for Tasmanian harness racing in many, many years", and the matters needed to be investigated "properly and fully".
"These trainers do not make these allegations lightly," he said.
"They are the most serious of allegations that have been made by the industry itself, because they've lost confidence in the Office of Racing Integrity to do its job."
Mr Winter said the majority of runners at harness racing meets coming from just the one stable, Yole Racing, had "hurt the code for many years" and he had no faith in the Office of Racing Integrity.
"I was at the Burnie harness racing track when one of those races actually took place. I stood and spoke to participants afterwards who were bewildered; they had their mouths open, wondering how on earth that actually happened," he said.
"And we waited for an inquiry to be set up by the Office of Racing Integrity. And rather than setting up an inquiry, they did absolutely nothing despite what was clearly a case for any investigation there that day.
"No-one could possibly have confidence in ORI after what's been done, and no-one could possibly have confidence in the minister."
ORI lacking 'guts or capacity' to investigate, say Greens
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said the allegations were "very disturbing" and accused the Office of Racing Integrity of lacking "the guts or the capacity" to investigate it.
"Industry insiders have said they raised the alarm with Tasracing, they raised the alarm with stewards, got fobbed off, got nowhere," she said.
"Tasracing and the Office of Racing Integrity don't have the courage to take on the big players in the racing industry and that's why we need here a thorough, independent investigation.
"What's happened here is that our racing integrity bodies have allowed someone to get so big that they dominate the industry, that they are potentially able to influence the outcome of races, that they are too big to fail."
ORI rejects claims of driver collusion
The ORI refused to comment on individual races.
It said it did not accept there was a serious risk of team driving if fields were dominated by one trainer, and that rules that prohibit driver collusion were actively regulated.
A statement from a Tasracing spokesman said the organisation had faith the ORI had investigated the allegations of team driving and race fixing properly.
Late on Monday, Tasracing chief executive Andrew Jenkins said he supported the independent investigation.
"It's very much about providing assurance, whilst we have an understanding that appropriate investigations have been taken into reports, it's about providing that level of certainty and assurance to all stakeholders," he said.
Ms Ogilvie said in recent days that Tasracing had proposed to the racing industry an "equity in participation" rule.
"[The rule] will see a limited number of horses able to be entered in pre-determined races from any one stable," she said.
"The Office of Racing Integrity will also employ a betting analyst to assist across all three codes of racing, to provide 'real-time' access to information to assist stewards in their inquiries, as well as providing the opportunity to proactively review trends in relation to betting on Tasmanian racing."
She said the government was preparing legislation to create a Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner with the power to set integrity and animal welfare standards, following an independent review of the state's racing regulations.
Mr Yole was contacted for comment.
A previous response from the trainer's lawyer emphasised the rigorous scrutiny and regulation the stable is subjected to, and described the allegations as "patently false".
Calls for overhaul of 'outdated' legislation
Mr Yole's next-door neighbour and racing steward Janet Ainscow told the ABC the conditions at his Sidmouth stables were "probably the worst conditions I've ever seen horses kept in of any racing establishment I've visited", alleging horses were kept in dusty paddocks with nothing to eat but their own excrement.
The stables have been subject to regular visits from both the Office of Racing Integrity and the RSPCA, with each saying no breaches of the rules of racing, or the 30-year-old Animal Welfare Act, had been identified.
RSPCA chief executive Jan Davis said legislative change was urgently needed.
"There are limits to what we can investigate under the legislation," she said.
"Whilst we had a few changes last year that upped our powers, the legislation is still not specific enough for us to be able to do the things that we think we need to be able to do.
"For example, it says things like appropriate shelter, adequate food and they're very subjective measures. As a charity with very little funding, it's very difficult for us to take on well-funded and quite significantly active groups to try and win that battle without some better back-up in the legislation.
"The rules have changed, expectations have changed, everything's changed but our legislation lags behind that recognition."
Government minister Roger Jaensch said the Office of Racing Integrity's powers included oversight of animal welfare and urged anyone with concerns that animals had been mistreated to contact the RSPCA.
