Size & Scope of the Australian Thoroughbred Racing Industry
The
Australian Racing Board has released
a comprehensive report into the extent
of the racing industry in Australia.
Some
of the major findings of this report
are:
- allowing
for the successive rounds of spending in the economy which follow from
expenditure by the racing industry, direct plus indirect income and
employment due to the racing industry in Australia totals some $ 7.7
billion and 240,000 Australians (or 77,000 full time equivalents) respectively.
- Breeding
and racing are amongst the most labour intensive of all Australian
industries and provide jobs in a diverse range of callings. Much of
this employment consists of jobs in regional areas where genuine local
employment opportunities are scarce.
- Measured
by attendances, racing is Australia's second most popular sport. 1.7m
people attend a race meeting at least once a year. This is second only
in popularity to Australian Rules football. For most rural communities
their Cup race day and the agricultural show are the two social highlights
of the year - and for those not large enough to have an agricultural
show the annual race day is their major opportunity to socialise as
a community.
- Australian
racing spans both the calendar and the continent. A total of 22,000
races are held each year, staged in Australia and equating to an average
of 60 races per day.
- Australian
Racing is a significant contributor to both the economy and way of
life in regional Australia. Almost half ($3.8 billion) of the gross
economic impact from the thoroughbred racing industry is generated
in non-metropolitan regions.
- Per
capita Australia is the world's leading country in ownership of thoroughbred
racehorses. Australia also has more race clubs and racecourses than
any other country in the world. Moreover Australia's 454 race clubs
have over 150,000 members.
Click here to
download the full size and scope study. (PDF requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader)