
The TAB: Papalia concedes ‘no value in purchasing it,' as government keeps door open on future sale
After plans to privatise the betting agency were first announced in 2015 by the former Barnett government, and legislation was passed under the McGowan government in 2019 to enable the sale, the government has spent years trying to find a suitable buyer.
Multiple bids, including offers reportedly close to $1 billion, fell through, leading the government to scrap the sale in 2022.
During budget estimates on Thursday, Minister Paul Papalia was asked by the opposition if the government would again pursue the privatisation of the TAB in this current term.
'In short, no,' Mr Papalia responded.
'That is not to say I am not out there or I would not be receptive to an approach for a sale, but there has been no interest and I do not anticipate there will be, not because we do not want to sell it or that we would categorically refuse, but probably because no-one can see a value in purchasing it.'
Mr Papalia said the sale of the TAB would have secured the long-term future of the racing industry; however, the plan collapsed amid falling returns following the COVID pandemic.
'In our first term of government, we tried to sell the TAB. At that point, the TAB was of reasonable value,' he said.
'It was our ambition to sell the TAB and create an infrastructure fund to allow in perpetuity funding for the industry's requirements for upgrades and maintenance of facilities, and also return a relatively small profit to the state as a consequence of the sale.
'That fell through. COVID changed things. Prior to and post-COVID, there has been an enduring diminishing return from racing and gambling.'
This financial year, the State Government is set to spend $57.1 million on racing and wagering in WA, including $38.6 million dedicated to improving and maintaining wagering systems.
Shadow Racing and Gaming Minister Lachlan Hunter believes the government should be working harder to make the TAB more viable for a prospective buyer.
'We remain focused on what delivers the best outcomes for racing. What we won't support is letting the TAB wither on the vine through inaction,' Mr Hunter said.
'Instead of trying to justify inaction, the government should be working to strengthen the TAB's position—investing in digital platforms, offering a competitive product, and providing clarity about its future.
'The industry deserves leadership, not defeatism.'
Despite not being able to find a suitable buyer over several years, the TAB still appears to be a cash cow for the state.
'The TAB generates hundreds of millions of dollars and is running efficiently, generating revenue for industry and taxpayers,' Mr Papalia told the West Australian.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

News.com.au
3 hours ago
- News.com.au
German supermarket giant Aldi launches Australian delivery trial
German supermarket giant Aldi has announced a major shake up to the way customers shop, in a move Aussies have been asking for since the Covid-19 pandemic. In an Australian first for the supermarket chain, Aldi has partnered with DoorDash and will now offer grocery delivery services. Starting from July 9, Aldi shoppers will be able to get access to Aldi's full range of products that will be delivered directly to their door. Aldi Australia's group buying director Simon Padovani-Ginies told NewsWire the partnership will help save customers money at the checkout. 'Our customers have been asking for us to go online for quite some time now as there are times when you simply can't get to a grocery store,' Mr Padovani-Ginies he told NewsWire. 'Without having Aldi participate in that convenience channel, (customers) are paying higher prices. 'They wanted Aldi to go online so they can help make more affordable grocery options in that convenience space and that is what we are really excited about.' Mr Padovani-Ginies says Tuesday's announcement is not due to competition in the supermarket space but simply as a way to meet customer demand. 'It is certainly a growing market but our customers have been telling us for a number of years, particularly after Covid that they would love to be able to access our product more conveniently online. 'We have been monitoring customer sentiment and have also been looking at the ongoing growth and success of the online channel. 'We now have a partnership that allows us to deliver it to our customers in a way that benefits the efficiency of the business and provides our customers exactly what they are looking for. ' Acting like other services on delivery app, Aldi customers are being told they will need to download DoorDash before searching for 'Aldi' on the platforms. Customers then add times to their cart and order on demand or choose a delivery window that they would prefer. The partnership is currently in a trial phase limited to Canberra but is expected to roll out across the country, bringing this new way to shop Aldi to more Australians nationwide. Eventually Aldi plans for 85 per cent of Australian households to have access to the service. It was also confirmed to NewsWire prices might vary for shoppers using the app compared to shopping in store. 'But there will be some price variances that customers will experience when they shop the app versus what they are used to paying in store,' Aldi said. 'DoorDash also applies delivery and service fees. 'Those delivery and service fees are standardised across all grocers in the vertical so no matter which grocery supermarket you are buying through on DoorDash those delivery and service fees are aligned.' Despite the price variance, Aldi said it was committed to having the cheapest products available. 'The people of Canberra will have access to our full grocery assortment, so there are over 1800 products spanning fresh Aussie fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and seafood, all of the chiller, the freezer and our ambient range, so it's a large range letting Aussies feed their family for less,' Aldi said. 'It is our intention to make sure that we are the most affordable alternative whether that is bricks and mortar or buying online.'


Perth Now
4 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aldi makes move Aussies demanded
German supermarket giant Aldi has announced a major shake up to the way customers shop, in a move Aussies have been asking for since the Covid-19 pandemic. In an Australian first for the supermarket chain, Aldi has partnered with DoorDash and will now offer grocery delivery services. Starting from July 9, Aldi shoppers will be able to get access to Aldi's full range of products that will be delivered directly to their door. Aldi Australia's group buying director Simon Padovani-Ginies told NewsWire the partnership will help save customers money at the checkout. Aldi has announced an Australian first for the brand after years of customer demand. NewsWire / Diego Fedele Credit: News Corp Australia 'Our customers have been asking for us to go online for quite some time now as there are times when you simply can't get to a grocery store,' Mr Padovani-Ginies he told NewsWire. 'Without having Aldi participate in that convenience channel, (customers) are paying higher prices. 'They wanted Aldi to go online so they can help make more affordable grocery options in that convenience space and that is what we are really excited about.' Mr Padovani-Ginies says Tuesday's announcement is not due to competition in the supermarket space but simply as a way to meet customer demand. 'It is certainly a growing market but our customers have been telling us for a number of years, particularly after Covid that they would love to be able to access our product more conveniently online. 'We have been monitoring customer sentiment and have also been looking at the ongoing growth and success of the online channel. 'We now have a partnership that allows us to deliver it to our customers in a way that benefits the efficiency of the business and provides our customers exactly what they are looking for. ' Aldi new partnership with DoorDash will begin on Tuesday. Supplied Credit: Supplied Residents of Canberra will be the first in Australia to be able to use the new Aldi partnership with DoorDash. Supplied Credit: Supplied Acting like other services on delivery app, Aldi customers are being told they will need to download DoorDash before searching for 'Aldi' on the platforms. Customers then add times to their cart and order on demand or choose a delivery window that they would prefer. The partnership is currently in a trial phase limited to Canberra but is expected to roll out across the country, bringing this new way to shop Aldi to more Australians nationwide. Eventually Aldi plans for 85 per cent of Australian households to have access to the service. It was also confirmed to NewsWire prices might vary for shoppers using the app compared to shopping in store. 'But there will be some price variances that customers will experience when they shop the app versus what they are used to paying in store,' Aldi said. 'DoorDash also applies delivery and service fees. 'Those delivery and service fees are standardised across all grocers in the vertical so no matter which grocery supermarket you are buying through on DoorDash those delivery and service fees are aligned.' Despite the price variance, Aldi said it was committed to having the cheapest products available. 'The people of Canberra will have access to our full grocery assortment, so there are over 1800 products spanning fresh Aussie fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and seafood, all of the chiller, the freezer and our ambient range, so it's a large range letting Aussies feed their family for less,' Aldi said. 'It is our intention to make sure that we are the most affordable alternative whether that is bricks and mortar or buying online.'

The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
RBA mulls more rate cuts as world prepares for Liberation Day 2.0
The Reserve Bank is poised to deliver its fastest cut in interest rates since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic as it seeks to protect the economy from the fallout of US President Donald Trump's latest tariff war and encourage households to open their wallets. But the impact of the Trump plan may turn out to be a small positive if United States-based manufacturers leave America in favour of other nations with lower tariffs such as Australia, according to the independent Productivity Commission. The Reserve Bank's monetary policy board started its two-day meeting on Monday. Financial markets and most economists expect it to back a further quarter percentage point cut in the official cash rate. Following its May rate cut, interest rates would be at a two-year low of 3.6 per cent. It would be the first time the bank has delivered back-to-back rate cuts since March 2020 when the RBA sought to protect the country from the fallout of the pandemic. On a $600,000 mortgage, a rate cut on Tuesday would be worth $100 a month and take to $300 the monthly savings since the Reserve Bank started easing monetary policy in February. Loading Lower inflation, which fell to 2.1 per cent in May, and sluggish economic growth combined with the potential fallout from the Trump tariff agenda have all driven up expectations of a rate cut on Tuesday with a high chance of another rate reduction in August. An ongoing concern has been the continuing strength of the jobs market. Unemployment has remained about 4.1 per cent for the past year with the country adding almost 330,000 jobs. The latest ANZ-Indeed measure of job ads, released on Monday, lifted by 1.8 per cent in June to be at its highest level in a year.