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West Australian Racing
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This website is not for people to air their grievances. If you have a personal grievance, please start your own blog OR put your real name to it.
This website was created so we could discuss racing and news around racing. Sure the news this week was worthy of discussion, but it was starting to spread to PR, RWWA and even further.
Thanks, but lets get on with the racing.
threads have been moved, not deleted.
Time someone on the hill got involved a bit more in our sport.
http//www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/race-bigwig-accused-of-harassment/story-e6frg13u-1226186563924
Race bigwig accused of harassment
by Paul Lampathakis
From The Sunday Times
November 05, 2011 500PM
THE WA racing industry's chief investigator has been accused of sexual harassment.
Prominent horse trainer Sue Hoppmann has alleged that Racing and Wagering WA investigator Phil O'Reilly slapped her "on the bum" at Belmont Park Racecourse four months ago, after a campaign of "sleaziness", adding to a string of incidents recently involving RWWA.
Ms Hoppmann said the "disgusting" harassment came when she was caring for her nine-year-old daughter, who had a rare condition resulting from bacterial meningitis.
"He slapped me on the bum with a racebook at the Belmont races in the jockeys' weigh-out area after the third race on either June 25 or July 2," she said, adding she was so immersed in her daughter's illness she had not noted the date.
"He whispered in my ear, 'Susanna', and he squeezed past me, with the side of his body touching my shoulder and my thighs.
"I was shocked and humiliated. I immediately turned around and yelled at him, 'If you ever touch me again I'll have you for harassment'."
The accusation follows a string of recent woes for RWWA including
* The shock resignation last week of chairman of stewards John Zucal, who was responsible for integrity in WA thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing. RWWA chief executive Richard Burt said Mr Zucal quit after he crashed an RWWA car on October 6, but had not initially reported it to RWWA or police. Mr Zucal is not facing charges or a police investigation.
* RWWA being a party to a settlement to journalist Andrew Carter in September after he was wrongly accused by Mr O'Reilly and the WA Turf Club of masturbating at Belmont racecourse in 2007, and was then defamed by The West Australian which repeated the claims.
* RWWA paying out former steward Steven Shinn in May after he made an unfair dismissal claim, alleging he was sacked because he was gay. It is understood that to get the payout, Mr Shinn had to sign an agreement saying no discrimination was substantiated.
* The WA Racing Trainers' Association on Friday deciding it would write to RWWA with concerns about "aspects of its investigative process" into incidents where licensed people including trainers faced action such as suspension or disqualification.
Ms Hoppmann said before the alleged slap, Mr O'Reilly continuously tried to interact with her at the races "making me feel uncomfortable for at least 12 months.
"One day he was in the stalls and he had to go out of his way to come to me because I was at the very end and he came over and looked me up and down and said, sleazily, 'I like your outfit'.
"I ignored him and then he said, 'You're wearing my colours'.
"He also invited to me to his boxing gym last year during a racing inquiry into my husband, which I felt was very inappropriate."
Ms Hoppmann said she did not ring RWWA until about three weeks after the incident because she wanted to seek legal advice from her barrister, Tom Percy QC.
But she said Mr Burt refused to meet her on three occasions, and demanded a written complaint, even though she initially wanted the matter mediated.
When asked about the harassment claims, Mr O'Reilly said "I've got no idea of that."
But Mr Burt said "I do know about the allegation.
"There has been no (written) complaint brought forward since her raising the issue months ago. We have offered, once a complaint comes in, to investigate it."
A RWWA spokeswoman said the Carter matter was settled through a confidential agreement and Mr Shinn's matter was also resolved and he had accepted there had been "no substantiation of any discriminatory action by RWWA in the termination of his employment".
Continual allegations against RWWA`s chief investigator, settlements that don`t allow disclosure of what actually happened, Chief Steward asked to resign, questionable behaviour by a steward in the North West and numerous other incidents that don`t make the public arena.
Despite these incidents the CEO Richard Burt, General Manager of Racing Ken Norquay, Chairman Ross Bowe and members of the RWWA board publicly choose to ignore these issues.
The lack of response, leads participants to believe that these individuals who control racing, support the activities of those who are employed to uphold the integrity of the racing industry.
Even the response, from Richard Burt, in todays article that there hasn`t been an investigation because there hasn`t been a written complaint is an indication that RWWA is not interested in complaints against their employees.
For Richard Burt to ignore an issue of sexual harrassment, against the Chief Investigator, because it wasn`t in writing is an indication of the culture that has developed within the walls of RWWA and it`s attitude towards racing participants.
It is a shame that many of the investigations handled by O`Reilly weren`t supported by the same sort of written complaints.
The lack of reporting by WA`s daily newspaper and the censorship of websites, whenever an incident occurs with a RWWA employee, also raises questions about RWWA`s transperancy and the manipulation of what is reported to the public.
It is disappointing that the structure of RWWA, that was supposed to improve all areas of racing, has become a secret society that supports its own employees, regardless of their behaviour and does not apply the same standards to issues raised by participants.
" The maintenance of the integrity and fairness of the Racing Industry is paramount to ensuring the confidence and support of the public and participants who support the industry"
And later in the same section when talking about their investigators they say
" Like the Stewards, they are also ideal persons to contact should someone wish to raise any concerns with respect to matters of integrity and control of racing."
I know one investigator who I would not want involved in an investigation, and I also wonder if anyone at RWWA has read their website.!