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So 100's of horses have arrived back at stables today & the blacksmiths are flat out shoeing them all. Send those bills to the owners. Then we hear from RITA tomorrow or whenever they choose to share their information with us, that we are racing for $5000. There will doubtless be a long & loud outcry from the trainers but .... I can already hear them saying "the horses are here now & we've got all the staff back so we might as well just carry on." RITA has nicely called the bluff of all of them. Had the horses stayed in their paddocks this week it would have made little difference to the trainers bottom line for the week but saved the owners a few hundy per horse & there was some ammo on the side of owners & trainers. But na. The trainers all want the advantage of returning to work earliest to get racing soonest. Bad move. Pike has copped plenty at times as the President of the Trainers Assoc. but when he has a strategy in place, any support out there? No. Not even from the trainers that have been so out spoken previously that we need to strike. Was now not the perfect time to withhold the product? Stake levels might not have been able to be challenged right now because the income dried up due to Coronavirus but the very least we might have got some traction on holding RITA & other racing administrations to account over their excessive staff numbers & salaries & various other expenditure. Well played RITA.

This is typical of corporate big business CEO's and suits! The evergreen revolving door! Pisses me off that useless incompetence can roll out one door and into another! All purely based on positions held in past employment of big company's ...irrelevant if they fucked those business's or not! THIS SHIT NEEDS TO STOP WORLDWIDE ! Example Fonterra! They sit there collecting their million dollar Salary's feeding us all bullshit for a few years... They then move on with a shitload of earnings and leaving us share holders employees etc.... holding the bath water but not a baby to be seen! If there is anything I have learnt in this Covid-19 lockdown debacle...it is the so-called bottom feeders and the real workers on the frontlines and coal face that are the most important ! (I actually knew this already but was confirmed!) These are the ones that should be earning 5x More and the Suits 10x Less !

Makes you wonder about the credibility of the executive recruitment agency that selected him.

Pity he didn't get this several years ago!!

Sadly we sold the Trainers Association down the road when we linked up with NZTR......

Isn't. NZTA part funded by none other than NZTR? Now we all know that the latter body has been rather good at spending money on poor CEO's and other extravagances for many years. It has a chairman who has been MIA for years and who was by some accounts bitterly disappointed at being over looked for top RITA position. Might it be that the latest outburst from Pike and co was instigated by someone other than himself. Join the dots people and you might come to the same conclusion as a few of us a re now reaching. The politics suggest someone or group has been undermining attempts to change direction the Minister and RITA wanted , it was obvious with the NZTR select committee submission and their very negative views on the new Act Lets see where this all ends up but methinks there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Greg

Sadly the Cambridge All Weather Track won't be of a Strathayr surface. This was the chance to create a worldclass facility and racetrack. Unfortunately I feel the industry has rushed in half arsed and this will not fix racing's problems in it's current form. Sadly this will introduce boring racing and disengage punters. We need to think Moonee Valley as a targeted goal and end result. https://strathayrsolutions.com/turf-solutions/

I see you’ve meantioned all the high profile guys ? That’s part of the problem the smaller guys are generally overlooked .Plus each training operation is different to the next hence the fractured responses. For example if I own 90 % of my own horses why wouldn’t I start taking them to the track ASAP ?

At least Kementari still has a use . Which one would you keep ? , which one would you send to the knackers ? .

The biggest issue the industry has in attracting youth to look at racing as a career is the past participants . Just like someone who has a bad experience as an owner , they tell their story to their circle of friends and associates , then the same with people who have tried the industry and not had good experience . They wont let their kids get involved , they tell their friends not to let their kids try it . It's is a tough game to work in and there are a lot of good employers but as in any industry there are plenty of bad ones . Myself personally , i've seen a lot of verbal abuse , seen physical bullying , heard threats made to people , heard some terrible racial abuse . I have seen young people reduced to tears . I have often stepped in where i think people have overstepped the mark and the person on the end of the abuse can't defend themselves . But the problem is people get out and moved on to something else but they don't forget . I known lots of people over the years about their time in racing , some i have worked with , some i've just talked to about it and they have all said the same thing , they would advise a young person not to get involved . The industry does a lot of good things but as with any thing in life people always remember the bad stuff and use that as their barometer when making a decision .

the truth is - he was attracted to this role because he got the DCM from his last role !

While great to see training getting underway again, little seems to be said about the impact this crisis has had on us small owners. For instance we had four horses in work (1 racing, 1 week away to trials, 1 preparing for Jewels and 1 midprep). All kicked for touch. As trained at or near Cambridge and starting from scratch again we cannot afford (and nor can our trainers manage under level 3) to bring all back in straight away, never mind the babies requiring education. We are not even bothering to bring our best horse back until certainty of good stakes and races for his grade and have already decided we can only afford to breed one mare this year (3 last year). I'm hoping some of the decision-makers high above realise the financial hit owners have suffered and the ongoing effects this will have on trainers, studs and race fields.

Greg all sector groups get support from NZTR to keep communications to the participants going. Owners not much and Trainers less I can tell you Owners are supporters generally of NZTR efforts. But that support does not extend to towing a line. I edited the now suspended Owners Bulletin for 10 years and maintained independence all the time.. I will have a crack at anyone who suggests otherwise. You are wrong to suggest that sector groups are trying to undermine what the Minister and RITA wanted to do with the Messara Report. It is the bureaucrats who have written the bill to capture the industry that have "screwed the scrum". You are right there is a lot going on behind the scenes and one side is being worked by people who are unpaid. Please get off their back! The bald truth - TAB / RITA are broke. They want a bailout from Government but the Govt are busy right now bailing out others. Winnie comes back to Welly from his beach place so there might be some answers soon. What the sector group are doing with pressure is to find answers. The OIA may do that.

Tweet dated 28 April...

I think most racing people enjoy sports but many sports people aren’t interested in racing but with more exposure that could only be a +

Wherever John has gone, he has taken a team of suits with him. Look how many are still at the TAB from NZ Post! Lets hope like Fx=3k that he takes most of them [hanging on by the skin of their teeth] still at the TAB with him. At least it would save a huge amount of redundancy money, if the place isn't put into statutory management, which is on the cards.

Big picture, creative thinker..........??!! Attracted to the role because Wellington are the only mugs on offer....

Shane Jones still has got zillions in his Regional Fund still to hand out. Something like this creates skilled people who can go in to employment which is what fund is suppose to be for. We just need somebody to drive it. I spoke to Kim Clapperton about doing something at Foxton racecourse as Shane Jones was wanting to throw as much money at Foxton as he could. They got heaps of projects going. Opening up,the old river and walk ways for all the tourists that are coming. Kim was really keen and would be the sort of person to run something like this but she couldn't get any support from the people in NZTR. They just shut it down. So NZTR backing any thing like this is your problem.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/121310537/wellington-regional-economic-development-agency-appoints-new-chief-executive Allen is an experienced chief executive, having led New Zealand Post, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and, most recently, the New Zealand Racing Board. He has served on the boards of Te Papa and the New Zealand Festival, and is on the Victoria University of Wellington Council. Wellington Mayor Andy Foster said he was looking forward to working with Allen. "John will be joining at one of the most testing times ever for the local, regional and national economy. "I know John well. He's a big-picture, creative thinker, which are exactly the skills Wellington needs at this time. "The fact that someone of his calibre is attracted to this role is a great endorsement for the excellent work of WellingtonNZ." Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter said the appointment was exactly what the region needed. "John's track record speaks for itself and he'll know that there's a real task at hand.

What Y2K and COVID-19 Have in Common A Cavernous Discrepancy between the Threat and the Reality By Justin Knight For anyone too young to remember Y2K, it was a very expensive non-event invented by IT charlatans to scare the world into paying them a significant amount of money to fix precisely nothing. The argument went that when the year 1999 ticked over to 2000, all the computers would malfunction due to not being able to roll ‘99 into ’00. Planes would fall out of the sky, ATMs and IT mainframes would shut down and the world would fall into turmoil. Years of testing and nonsensical modelling and fixes preceded the big event each with an eye-watering budget attached. The BFD. Y2K When the big day came and the year 2000 rolled in, zero planes fell from the sky, ATMs and computer networks still worked perfectly. Governments, Corporates and the dons of the IT industry hailed their foresight and planning and declared themselves planning and crisis management geniuses who had allowed everyone to dodge a mega bullet; an asteroid that was going to explode mother earth. It was never mentioned, explained or acknowledged that countries who had zero budget allocated to Y2K and its fixes also had no issues with planes falling out of the sky, ATMs or their computer networks. The Y2K problem never existed; there was no need for panic or fixes or massive spend. It was the biggest scam I’d seen in my life time until a couple of months ago. Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce you to the COVID-19 world coronavirus crisis. There is a key difference in that COVID-19 does actually exist, it just exists along with numerous other coronaviruses that are present and always have been present. The comparison to the Y2K invention is with regard to the cavernous discrepancy between the threat scenario – fueled by the media and the Government, versus the reality that it’s barely registerable as a threat to one’s life. Jacinda Ardern has misled New Zealand severely; impeding the future of the next generation with an extremely large debt anchor whilst simultaneously impinging on the human rights of the country; bankrupting small business owners and creating a mental health and domestic violence crisis. The BFD. Cartoon credit SonovaMin The initial and continued scare tactics and modelling undertaken to underpin the government’s actions need to be fully investigated post-crisis with appropriate repercussions where wrongs have been committed. Warning of 34,000 deaths and using that as a basis to ruin the economy and people’s lives is simply not morally defensible. The reality is in the actual numbers if people would care to look at them. New Zealand has had 14 deaths with most not being able to be tagged as COVID-19 given the other morbidities of the patients at a worst-case mortality rate of 0.1%. As a point of reference in the same time period COVID-19 has been in New Zealand, approximately 5,500 people have died of various other causes. Another reference point is that over the Easter weekend in 2019, 17 people died on the roads. These were young people in their prime, not people in palliative care. New Zealand didn’t shut the roads after Easter 2019. For the many articles and references pointing the finger at Singapore as the next scare tactic of what could happen with the famous “second wave”, Singapore has had only 11 deaths over a longer time period of infection than New Zealand with many more positive tests and thus an even lower mortality rate. The spike in Singapore cases reflects a better and more thorough testing program and will only go to prove how innocuous COVID-19 is as the true mortality rate will tumble even further as testing continues to widen. The lack of balanced reporting in New Zealand is at the core of the issue. The media have failed as a safeguard to a free and open society. The media are failing in their core role of fostering a democracy that’s accountable to all its citizens. There’s more truth in the excellent and independent Pyongyang Times than any of New Zealand’s publications or media other than just a very few reporters who actually attempt to bring some balance to much public derision. New Zealand publications troll for the latest sad case to publish, interviewing those in grief, simultaneously looking for some outpost article on what a wonderful leader New Zealand has. No one in the world truly gives a hoot about Jacinda or what she is doing to New Zealand, as even the half-educated have worked out there is little to no risk. Sweden is a month away from herd immunity after doing precisely nothing. Brazil is fine. There never was a crisis. The BFD Let’s talk about the Y2K equivalent Covid specialists. The most commonly wheeled out rent-a-quote specialist New Zealand has is Siouxsie Wiles. You have to be wary when you take one person’s opinion and put that above all others or give it more weight, a lot more oxygen and far too much airtime. Remember that this is a career academic fighting for both funding and relevance, and this is her moment to shine in the spotlight and shout about how relevant and clever she is. Except she’s not. Siouxsie scaremongers and makes up scenarios that don’t exist and even attempts to talk about how actual numbers can trick you. A death is a death, Siouxsie, it is the only reliable data we have. There is research that undoubtedly links obesity and a lack of vitamin D to the rare death of younger patients of COVID-19. In this aspect, Siouxsie Wiles is talking her own book and you can see why she is fearful, but that doesn’t mean she should punish the nation or put her needs in front of all others. One of the many health professionals I refer to is Stanford professor of medicine Dr John Ioannidis who has concluded in a new study that the risk of death from COVID-19 for people under 65 years of age, even in global “hotspots“, is equivalent to the risk of a fatal car accident for daily commuters. If you take the data from the best-studied countries such as South Korea, Iceland, Germany and Denmark, the overall lethality of COVID-19 is between 0.1% and 0.4%. The reality is there has not been a spike in mortality in any country across the world year on year. COVID-19 has not caused a mortality spike anywhere. COVID-19 is a statistical non-event. My early research into COVID-19 centred around the articles of Doctor John Lee (Professor of Pathology and NHS Pathology Consultant), Doctor Richard Schabas (Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of health for ten years and Chief of Staff at York Central Hospital during SARS crisis in 2003) and Nobel prize winner Peter Doherty. I have also covered hundreds of other specialists given my background isn’t medical just as Grant Robertson’s isn’t business. We are both attempting to educate ourselves and take in as many viewpoints as possible to ascertain what the real threat is here. To fully encapsulate and understand the threat, we need to determine the actual percentage of total deaths COVID-19 is causing. Going through numerous articles I ascertained three main points. The first being that prior to COVID-19, the cause of infection when someone died of a respiratory illness generally wasn’t recorded. The second being that the low number of tests are skewing the figures. In most countries you are only tested for COVID-19 once in the hospital, so the true mortality number isn’t being baked into the actual mortality rate. The third point is to focus on what has happened (facts) rather than what might happen (modelling). The facts are what New Zealand is sorely missing. The reporting has been one-sided without a counterbalance to provide people with information so they can make informed decisions. What is a fact is that the mortality rate is low and those dying have had multiple morbidities making it difficult to ascertain what really killed them. Globally total mortality hasn’t risen from 2019 numbers. Currently, the worlds COVID-19 deaths represent 0.14 percent of the total of global deaths. There is no spike. To be truly informed as a nation we need to be provided with the following information. How many people died at the same time last year of respiratory illnesses over the same period? How many people died of suicide? Sepsis? Heart disease? Car crashes? Flu? A weekly table of total deaths compared to historic data should suffice, so people can make an informed decision on what the threat really is. Jacinda is a massive problem and her cult rather than her results will shape the future of New Zealand for many years to come in a very bad way. It took all previous Governments 164 long years for New Zealand to accumulate 57 billion of debt, during that time building roads and infrastructure and schools and hospitals, providing for treaty settlements and looking after the beneficiaries. Jacinda will double that 164 years of debt in a couple of months by paying money to businesses that can’t open so will go bankrupt regardless, for a crisis that only exists as a vanity project, with rules that make no sense other than providing a daily pulpit to sprout lies, fear and smugness with a healthy dose of faux concern. This is a PM that loves a crisis because she can’t achieve anything running the country day to day. Kiwibuild was a failure. The caring and genuine Jacinda threw the victims of a sex scandal which happened under her nose under the bus, denying knowledge when all evidence pointed to her knowing exactly what was going on. Pledges on mental health are a long way off what was promised. It isn’t surprising that Jacinda is spiralling New Zealand into a mental health crisis. The BFD. Look at me. Cartoon credit SonovaMin Jacinda’s cards were on the table early when she went to the United Nations with her baby in the most blatant cry for attention since Michael Jackson dangled baby Prince Michael II off a Berlin balcony in 2002. The United Nations is Jacinda’s ultimate goal as it’s the bastion of getting nothing done accompanied with long compassionate speeches and equally compassionate faces whilst a million African children die a year because of thoroughly fixable sanitation issues. Jacinda will play that faux-concerned face role exceptionally well. She should be encouraged to go as soon as possible so New Zealand can start cleaning up her mess. Jacinda has enhanced a culture of taxing or crippling anyone who has worked hard so that beneficiaries can benefit, and she is now in control of a money-printing machine with a finance minister who majored in Arts. These actions will have repercussions on generations to come. Farmers, entrepreneurs, property owners, small business owners, basically anyone with capital at risk has felt the wrath of being punished for hard work and putting their own hard-earned dollars to the test. It wasn’t long ago that the Ardern government was trying to put a capital gains tax on anyone who had actually had the wherewithal to grow a business and employ people. The bandwagon is circling and the message is loud and clear, don’t risk your capital, grab a benefit. The crack in their plan is that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of thinking about what businesses will survive to pay tax to fund the benefits. It must be an Arts background thing. Jacinda has lied to New Zealand. No doubt Jacinda’s PR team will spend the next few years spinning a different light on what actually happened, but Jacinda has clearly and methodically misled about the magnitude and threat of COVID-19 and she has recklessly reached into the pockets of the future generations to fund the resulting actions. That money isn’t hers to spend nor is it the Government’s; it’s the future workforce and economy of New Zealand and it’s being recklessly and criminally spent. Jacinda’s so brazen she even lied as she extended the unnecessary lockdown for a week and then called it two days. The arrogance with which she batted that away when challenged by Mike Hosking was breathtaking, effectively dismissing every business owner in New Zealand. Moving forward, reporting needs to change to give perspective and allow Kiwis to make informed decisions around the mortality of COVID-19 infections versus the rest of the deaths in New Zealand. We need a media that safeguards a free and open society and fosters a democracy. A media that’s accountable to all its citizens. If we are going to forecast doomsday scenarios of how many could die from COVID-19, we also need mental health experts forecasting how many may take their own lives when their business goes under and how many jobs are being lost each week. Lastly, post this event we need to have an independent enquiry into whether this lockdown had safeguards in the New Zealand Bill of Rights and if it was in fact even legal. There need to be independent investigations into the decisions made by Jacinda Ardern and her influence on the media to impinge on human rights to such a large degree, whilst bankrupting the next generation, when the threat was never so great as that which was, and still is, continually portrayed.

Appointing JA to anything associated with WCC or GWRC is not surprising as they have a long history of employing total effwits. Just look at the ongoing WCC problems(shit for africa), Island Bay bike lane etc etc. GWRC change to bus timetables routes . Sure JA will fit in there perfectly he will be with his own kind.

It is Important that the name of that recruitment agency be disclosed. Those who unaware of commercial hazards will be affected by commercial hazards.

Yep, doesn't fit me , even though I can do some of it myself.

I wonder if these recruiting agency's ever say..."Sorry none of these applicants are suitable for this role"? My guess is no...racing's almighty dollar bleeds again!

if you cant see whats going on look at about the top 20 companies in the world do they need to close no its as simple that. why quarantine the healthy medically it makes no sense so why do it theres more at play here not sure about the 5g stuff but whatever it is its not right

Well said and very true!

We have protocol in place that works like this: One entry point for all trainers Wash or hand sanitise at track provided washing station BEFORE unloading horses Use your prearranged X ties - a gap of 5 metres between different trainers Fill in their own notebook with who is on site, what time you arrived - this is our contact tracing requirement - no unlicensed staff on site Hose bay use - hand sanitiser to be used before touching hose bay taps or hose - provided at the hose bay Fill in notebook as you leave hand sanitise before loading horses to leave easy really but we are a small track who have all worked together to get back on track.

New job, new life. He's already forgotten, or trying hard to, the dogs breakfast he left behind for us. But this sounds like an ideal spot for John to drag out a few worthless years before retirement. http://wellington.scoop.co.nz/?p=115084

Unfortunately for Pike he made his charge to late and up until his statements last week he had been invisible as the head of the trainers . He is the continuation of a list of piss poor trainers assn presidents over the last god knows how many years . Trainers are forced to join the assn to get their licence , even owner trainers , but i know for a fact 80% wouldn't if given a choice . There was a time owner trainers weren't allowed to join , that's how desperate they became for members .

The subsidy is paid to the employee over the 12 week period to assist the employer to keep their staff on the books during the lockdown period It is for the employees benefit not to help the employer pay his bills while in lockdown. Thats why there are so many now being required to pay the money back because they have used it to cover other expenses and not for the employees. It was a badly thought out decision made in haste to pay the subsidy to the employers for the benefit of the employees rather than paying it direct to the employees account but with all the other payouts being made the govt agencies that normally handle these sorts of things (ie IRD and MSD) were already going to be overworked.

Regional council, just another rate grabbing fee to pay, see very little for it, just the usual talk the talk, the wheels turn slower than a snail, all for what.

Synthetic to Turf is closer than dirt to turf . But your right it works well with a pool of horses and heaps of awt racing with horses that race on it week in week out up and down grades, that is doubtful it will happen here . The handicap system needs to be more on to it as well. Some obviously perform better on one or other , a lot not much different . UK had them 30 plus years , run two handicap marks one synthetic one turf . A lot of horses that are well exposed the mark is the same , a horse like Alpha Tauri for example is different . He's 14 now run 100 plus on synthetic for 10 or so wins , 13 starts turf for nothing . So he's well exposed gets a 52 on synthetic and 38 on turf . Here they will switch more often so it will be guesswork to start off I suppose .

Nothing will change - come the elections and a large number of the electorate wont bother to vote. Of the rest - 1/3 will vote left, 1/3 will vote right, 1/6 will vote for whoever offers them something and the remaining 1/6 will vote for whoever the press tells them to.

Quite clear nobody done a background check of any real substance , just a bunch of suits looking after another suit . It will probably come out somewhere down the line that he knew someone who knew someone and , TADA !! the jobs yours . Hate to have seen the resumes of the also rans .

Bloody Hell! It does make you wonder.

Wellington rate payers will be up in arms. Andy Foster's on thin ice already.

I have heard one prominent administrator say that breeders will help the industry to recover by putting the horses they have bred into work, because of their age they have already accumulated cash and assets which allows them to afford to race horses. This doesn't fit the picture of most horse breeders that I know

1. Arctic Wolf - Second behind Chenier in only start. $8.50 looks enticing. 5. Shahzade unlucky last start, good odds 7. Surely Main Stage can beat these ?! Ex Myers runner Orleans Rock the danger 8. Eurack and Spirit of Aquada.

I ain't right wing at all, just try to use basic common sense and total bewilderment at how our younger people have turned into morons and sheep. There is no way in the old days, people would have allowed any of the shite from the last thirty years to happen.

Unfortunately on the sport news for the nation when racing held court this week was a top trainer saying he won't train his horses unless he gets more money or is off to OZ with others , and another top trainer saying he's owed a handout . Iam no PR expert but that won't go down well, with some people doing it tough when the TAB still operated during lockdown. Remember to most horses running on a TV is horses running on a TV , they have no interest where . Racing needs to fit it's recovery plans up to a point with what govenment plans are , plans for future engaging of youth in the workforce would be a start and healthy for racing to get fresh workers in .Public might see a benefit .

I think Aaron might mean in future at some point if racing recovers not tomorrow or next week , I think the way the govenment recovery is going to be framed by PM going by comments in news today is it will be focused on youth, youth is pretty far from racing at the moment so racing better scribble some notes down quick sharp for future if it survives next few months . Agree with govenment or not it's the one in power so calls the tune , racing calls nothing the position it's in .

There's loads on you tube showing how they do it Aaron . Builds kids confidence up in life that's the spin off as well.

Northern Racing College very successful in Rossington, England . Their Website has what they do and how , very professional outfit . They get some youngsters in who haven't had all advantages from tough areas and teach them to look after the horses and themselves, then get them into yards .

Ridiculous comment. It’s for the betterment of all the Industry participants. It’s not an “exclusive” use track is it? NZ Racing people have to drop partisan comments and look at what’s best overall. That’s been a problem for years, as people are all for reform - as long as their own patch progresses and others take the hit. It’s no wonder REFORM can’t get any traction.

It might be a better investment than the RIU....

Yeah I'm going alright though. Its a side hobby and I do love the 'Jennifer Eccles' story of course. But you got to look at the bottom dollar in the end 'I never really have till now' and you start to realise, it ain't as much fun anymore!!

So he's brought a spelling farm in company with a NZ syndication company , but he's going to move to Australia unless stakes are what he wants but he don't want to stand in company with the union rep in the trenches . So his horses move to OZ , assuming thats what all his owners want and fly them back on masse to his farm for spelling ? He might be one person who will have his bluff called early doors .

Proactive parties (and especially industry associations) are packaging up strategies and pitching to be part of the Govt's support package. Racing's current whimpering approach just puts us to the back of that queue. They (Govt.) want short-term projects with long-term benefits to the whole country. We have a massive advantage in the 'shovel ready' race - idle land and maintenance projects across the length and breadth of NZ. Our pitch could be for every racing club to gift their car-park and stabling areas to NZ coffers. In return we get a cash injection for stakes (managed by a 3rd party administration) and a full refurb to make us valid to the Gen Z's. We get our asbestos-riddled stands demo'ed...new terraced/grassed viewing areas for summer racing, with a pub-tab at the top for every club...transit lanes up to the door-step...low rise stabling, admin and parking facilities...track upgrades...condensed in-field training facilities.................... Include the Greens in there somehow and racing could come out the other end with a whole new image? C'mon Racing Clubs....either seize the day or wither and die!

I'm talking for example where let's say the employee is paid exactly the $585 per week for 6 weeks then returns to full time work. I thought the remaing 6 weeks subsidy had to be passed on to the employee at that point, not pocketed by the employer?

No he wasnt...he started the demise of TAB agency's and the $1 each way punter. Cannot remember the exact words to his quote when he took over but it was something like "We need to get rid of the urinal look" where people stood there and looked up to the TV screens. They are now looking down at the potty.....