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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=150 BGCOLOR="#660000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="32400960dvldxa.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#660033" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="326a09e3.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Queensland Horse Council Inc">Home</A></div> <div> <A HREF="mission.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Mission">Our Mission</A></div> <div> <A HREF="equinews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="NEWSLETTERS eQuiNEWS">NEWSLETTERS - eQuiNEWS</A></div> <div> <A HREF="genreports.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="General Reports For Members">General Reports For Members</A></div> <div> <A HREF="news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News">News</A></div> <div> <A HREF="notices.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Notices">Notices</A></div> <div> <A HREF="comingevents.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Coming Events">Coming Events</A></div> <div> <A HREF="membership.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Membership">Membership</A></div> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links">Links</A></div> <div> <A HREF="gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery">Photo Gallery</A></div> <div> <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Board Of Directors">Board Of Directors</A></div> <div> <A HREF="eadrahorselevies.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EADRA Horse Levies">EADRA & Horse Levies</A></div> <div> <A HREF="hendravirus.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hendra Virus">Hendra Virus</A></div> <div> <A HREF="eiinfo.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="E.I. 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INFORMATION</A></div> <div> <A HREF="ahic.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Australian Horse Industry Council">Australian Horse Industry Council</A></div> <div> <A HREF="foresttrails.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forest Trails Access">Forest Trails Access</A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=330 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="808" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 32 WIDTH="671"><div> <B><U>NEWS</U></B></div> <div> <B>Queensland Horse Council Inc</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC WIDTH="128"><div> <A HREF="news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News">Back to News</A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=3 BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 156 ><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="591b2690.jpg" border=0 width="690" height="105" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=3 BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 689 WIDTH="800"><div> <B>Media Release - for immediate release - 10 March 2008</B></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Horse Levy in Limbo</U></B></div> <bR> <div> Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke today deferred the passage of the Horse Disease Response Levy Bill 2008 through Federal Parliament until after the results of the Callinan Enquiry are handed down.</div> <bR> <div> Queensland Horse Council (QHC) President Julie de Visser says, “Our Members have registered wide spread anger about this bill being retrospective in regard to Equine Influenza. </div> <bR> <div> The levy has been under discussion for many years and was always to be set at zero until a disease outbreak occurred.  However, we had EI before the Bill was passed and it had looked as if this was being rushed through the House with unseemly haste. </div> <bR> <div> We are concerned that the levy will be made retrospective to cover the EI costs.</div> <div> This is just not fair to an Industry already struggling to recover from the terrible financial burden of EI during the last six months”.</div> <bR> <div> The Queensland Horse Council is awaiting the result of the Callinan Enquiry due on the 24<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" >th</FONT> April as this should determine who is at fault and who may be legally required to pay for the whole incident.  The QHC is maintaining a vigilant watch as the situation unfolds.</div> <bR> <div> The QHC's National affiliate, the Australian Horse Industry Council is applying for a re-categorization of the disease to reflect the real impact that it had on the industry and this would dramatically reduce any cost to the horse industry.  </div> <bR> <div> “Currently the industry is required to pay back 80% of the cost of EI and the Federal Government just 20%.  The severity of the financial impact that this disease had on our Industry means that it was incorrectly classified originally and needs to have its status upgraded so that the Government pays more and Industry less.</div> <bR> <div> However, the question we all want answered is, why will Industry be paying for a failure of Quarantine?  Hopefully Justice Callinan will have some answers for us” said Mrs de Visser.</div> <bR> <div> The Queensland Horse Council wrote to the Federal Minister to express the concerns of their Members and the Horse Industry in general in Queensland.</div> <bR> <div> Established in 1986, the Queensland Horse Council consistently addresses issues affecting the horse industry.  The work of the QHC is crucial to representing the voice of all industry members to the Government.  </div> <bR> <div> Visit our website at <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="http://www.qldhorsecouncil.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.qldhorsecouncil.com"><U>www.qldhorsecouncil.com</U></A></FONT>, email us at admin@qldhorsecouncil.com" <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Verdana" ><A HREF="mailto:" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:"><U>admin@qldhorsecouncil.com</U></A></FONT> or mail us at Box 1110 UQ Gatton, GATTON QLD 4343 for details on how to join.</div> <div>  </div> <div> FOR MORE INFORMATION regarding this press release, please contact: QHC President Julie de Visser on 0438 1892 72.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER COLSPAN=3 BGCOLOR=#330033 HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="800"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="800" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>