'Don't hold a gun to Thoroughbred Park's head': Greens urged to come clean

Tutt, a candidate for Ginninderra in the October 19 election, was concerned the Greens would look to shut down the racing industry in a post-election land grab for the prime Mitchell real estate.

Greens backbencher Jo Clay wants to bulldoze Thoroughbred Park and turn it all into housing - rather than the race club's proposal to create 3200 dwellings, as well as restaurants, cafes and shops in a bid to set up Canberra Racing's future.

His concerns come from the fact the redevelopment still hasn't been approved, with Canberra Racing hopeful of having the rezonings finalised by the end of the year.

The ACT government's announcement of a steering committee last week didn't allay Tutt's fears, with his main concern it wouldn't be locked in ahead of the election.

Tutt said that left the racetrack vulnerable to the Greens - especially if they increased their representation in the ACT Legislative Assembly from six to seven at the upcoming election.

The Greens have repeatedly tried to shut down the racing industry by tearing up the $41 million memorandum of understanding, which runs for five years until 2027.

But Chief Minister Andrew Barr's government has continued to back the industry which helps bring in $32 million annually through the point-of-consumption tax.

Tutt was still concerned what the future held for Canberra Racing and called on the Greens to be transparent about their plans in the lead-up to the election.

"The Greens should come out before the election and say that they agree to the development and not hold a gun to Thoroughbred Park's head and say, 'We'll see you after the election' and allow them to have that or go and take the whole lot - which is what they're planning to do if they get seven seats," he said.

"Racing will be so unsure of their future that people [in the industry] will have to decide if they transition out of Canberra totally because of the uncertainty of Thoroughbred Park as a training facility."

While Canberra Racing has a lease until at least 2100, Tutt was concerned about a Greens land grab following the election.

The race course was perfectly located on the light-rail, which was why the club was looking to redevelop some of their land.

Not surprisingly, Canberra Racing is fearful the current MOU will be their last - which was why they were looking to set up their financial future through the redevelopment.

But Clay, the Greens' animal welfare spokesperson, wants to turn all their land into housing.

"The [development application] hasn't been approved in three years," Tutt said.

"There's a concern if there was a Labor-Green government elected in October that the development would be put on hold and they might try and shut down the whole industry at Thoroughbred Park, 100 per cent."