Application
This unit of competency supports senior stipendiary stewards or other approved persons who are required to perform the role of chairman of stewards in maintaining and upholding fair racing, and supervising and enforcing the industry's probity and integrity standards as empowered by the relevant racing code's national and local rules of racing. Competencies attained in this unit apply to the greyhound, harness or thoroughbred code of the industry. Consequently when performance criteria are applied they will relate to the greyhound code or the harness code or the thoroughbred code, and statements of attainment for this unit will reflect this distinction. |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA |
Supervise integrity and compliance in racing. | 1. Compliance with rules of racing and legislation is promoted. 2. Integrity and ethical behaviour are promoted. 3. Race meeting operations are supervised. 4. Licensed or registered persons are supervised. |
Supervise welfare of animals and staff. | 5. Animal welfare legislation and rules of racing are promoted. 6. Staff welfare and safety are promoted. |
Manage investigations and inquiries. | 7. Investigation and inquiry processes are reviewed for compliance and relevance. 8. Inquiry conclusions and penalties awarded are reviewed for consistency, relevance and compliance with administrative law. 9. Appeal decisions are researched and reported to people concerned . |
Contribute to the update of rules of racing and related procedures. | 10. Policies and protocols are reviewed for relevance, currency and compliance with legislation and practices. 11. Proposals are prepared for amendments and new rules, policies or procedures. 12. Links are established and maintained with colleagues in same and other racing codes for sharing of information. 13. Staff members are advised of policy and procedural changes. |
Required Skills
Required skills |
allocating duties to staff based on a range of operational requirements, staff experience, level of responsibility and complexity of job task assessing industry requirements associated with steward services, including safety, security, licensing, and staff and animal welfare adhering to safe handling and work practices when working around greyhounds or horses communicating with racing administration executives and staff, other stewards, racing officials, licensed and registered personnel and others using assertive communication techniques to gather, interpret and relay information related to steward duties completing duties in accordance with safe operating procedures and nominated time frame complying with organisational policies and procedures computer skills, including: data entry and retrieval email and internet spreadsheets word processing conducting steward inquiries and gaining satisfactory conclusions critically analysing decisions made at inquiries, appeals, protests and review for relevance enforcing the rules of racing hearing and adjudicating race protests identifying different items of industry-approved greyhound and horse race gear and assessing their condition in terms of safe use and need for repair identifying individual animals by industry signalment and documents identifying signs of ill health, injury or pain in racing animals leadership skills to successfully manage and coordinate staff, including ability to delegate as and when required managing race day incidents and emergencies managing OHS and environmental work procedures managing staff preparing and presenting evidence for appeals providing clear and concise reports on race performance in verbal and written formats reading and controlling races reading and interpreting workplace documentation, including rules of racing relating to people from a range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and with varying physical and mental abilities taking a proactive stance in all matters pertaining to racing, and implementing changes to advance racing where necessary using initiative, discretion and judgements to solve racing issues and problems using video and DVD recording and re-play devices and other equipment and technology for racing operations duties working within the boundaries set by regulatory bodies, other regulations and the racing industry working with team members to achieve results written communication skills to complete workplace documentation and reports. |
Required knowledge |
avenues and procedures for personnel to access counselling communication procedures for communicating with racing administration executives and staff, other stewards, officials, licensed or registered personnel and others, including reporting lines within the workplace and wider racing industry detailed understanding of applicable federal, state or territory legislation and regulations, and national standards and codes of practice, including: animal welfare anti-discrimination and harassment environmental and waste management equal employment opportunity industrial relations OHS ethical conduct standards of relevant racing principal authority greyhound or racehorse identification features industry terminology related to steward duties, racing operations and wider racing industry organisational policies and procedures and management practices principles of administrative law and sound knowledge of legal proceedings principles of effective communication procedures for hearing protests, conducting inquiries and gathering evidence procedures for operation and maintenance of required equipment and technology purpose of gear and reasons for identifying and reporting problems with condition, fit and safety reasons racing animals may not perform as expected relevant rules of racing reporting requirements for irregularities and problems symptoms of and ways of checking for common signs of injury, ill health or distress in racing animals. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package. | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy all of the requirements of the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge and the range statement of this unit and include evidence of the following: knowledge of the requirements, procedures and instructions that are to apply when managing steward services demonstration of ability to manage race day and non-race day steward services, including investigations and inquiries, by applying the relevant rules of racing and related protocols using appropriate communication techniques that reflect compliance with equity principles implementation of procedures and timely techniques for the safe, effective and efficient application of steward services management working with others to undertake and complete the required procedures that meet required outcomes. Evidence should be collected over a period of time in a range of administrative, race meeting and trial contexts, and include dealings with an appropriate range of situations. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Competency must be assessed in a racing workplace that provides access to the required resources. Assessment is to occur under standard and authorised work practices, safety requirements and environmental constraints. It is to comply with relevant regulatory requirements or Australian Standards requirements. Assessment of the practical components of this unit will be by observation of relevant skills. The following resources must be available: materials and equipment relevant to assessing candidate's ability to manage steward services racing administration offices, racetracks, race trials and meetings, and related facilities work instructions and related documentation. |
Method of assessment | Assessment methods must satisfy the endorsed Assessment Guidelines of the Racing Training Package. The suggested strategies for the assessment of this unit are: written and/or oral assessment of candidate's required knowledge observed, documented and firsthand testimonial evidence of candidate's application of practical tasks including: observation of chairing at least three race meetings and conducting at least three inquiries presenting completed reports for these race meetings, plus reports for three inquiries (and any related appeals) in which candidate has actively participated while maintaining case studies of common race incidents. Evidence is required to be demonstrated over a period of time, therefore where performance is not directly observed any evidence should be authenticated by supervisors or other appropriate persons, at least one of whom should be approved by the State Principal Racing Authority. This unit may be assessed in a holistic way with other units of competency relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role. |
Guidance information for assessment | Assessment methods should reflect workplace demands (e.g. literacy and numeracy demands) and the needs of particular target groups (e.g. people with disabilities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, people with a language background other than English, youth and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds). |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below. The range statement provides details of how this competency can be used in the workplaces of the racing industry to manage steward services. Workplaces include greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racecourses, training tracks and administration buildings. Stewards oversee the conduct of all racing-related activities within the responsibilities and powers described under the rules of racing. The conditions under which this unit is delivered and assessed must take into consideration these powers and responsibilities. These powers and responsibilities are further described in the rules of racing for the relevant racing code. It is strongly recommended that training facilitators and learners refer to these powers and responsibilities as part of the range of conditions for all units covered in the steward specialist area of the Training Package. | |
Rules of racing and legislation may include: | anti-discrimination and harassment animal welfare Australian and local rules of racing equal employment opportunity OHS superannuation awards taxation law union coverage and work agreements workers' compensation. |
Areas the rules of racing cover include: | animal welfare constitutional interpretation licensing and registration local rules offences penalties race meetings stewards syndicates. |
Dimensions of ethical behaviour include: | administrative structures codes of conduct corporate strategies systems, policies and procedures. |
Race meeting operations roles include: | barrier attendants catching pen supervisors clerks of the course club secretaries farriers greyhound attendants kennel supervisors lure drivers mobile drivers race club kennel attendants racecourse detectives scribe or shorthand writers starters stewards veterinarians. |
Race meeting operations duties will include: | allocating stewards to observation positions around the track arranging for swabs to be sent to laboratory for analysis carrying out or supervising pre-race identification calling greyhounds or horses to the parade or marshalling area calling greyhounds to stir-up area and to starting boxes calling horses to the starting stalls calling jockeys to mount up checking the starting position of each race checking track conditions checking updated eligibility list against current suspension list hearing post-race protests inspecting bandages and other tack liaising with racing officials liaising with trainers, jockeys and drivers if there are problems with engaged drivers or riders participating in or adjudicating post-meeting inquiries or appeals selecting animals for pre-race swabbing and supervising the procedure sending field to the start. |
Licensed or registered personnel will include: | greyhound attendants harness drivers kennelhands jockeys and trackwork riders owners stablehands strappers race day staff trainers. |
Animal welfare legislation includes: | national and state codes of practice; federal, state and territory legislation; and local government regulations covering animal welfare, and requires: animals to be exercised in a manner deemed proper and appropriate to the fitness of the animal animals not to display any obvious signs of ill health animals to be maintained appropriately for the conditions, including: housing rugging feed and water containers to be clean and free of sharp edges safe and industry-recognised gear and saddlery to be used on animals boxes, kennels, runs and yards to be free of hazards and clean bedding evident. |
Staff welfare and safety will include: | adhering to legislation governing: bullying discrimination harassment, including sexual harassment health and safety working with children taxation law workers' compensation all gear used on animals is approved and of good quality effective supervision at all times ensuring drivers or jockeys are in a fit state to compete equipment or vehicles to be used are well maintained and in proper working order kennel or stable emergency and evacuation procedures are clearly signed maintenance of safety equipment, including: first aid equipment fire safety equipment personal protective equipment protective gear conforms to required standards staff are adequately trained in tasks carried out track is in a fit and proper state for safe and competitive racing. |
Reviewing inquiry conclusions and penalties awarded may ensure: | continuous improvement consistency with other codes' decisions and appeals outcomes improved inquiry approaches for stewards, for example: behaviour communication techniques counselling manner maintenance of integrity. |
People concerned in the appeal decision may include: | other stewards within the code not directly involved in the appeal stewards from other codes. |
Policy and protocol reviews may cover: | drug strategies reports kennel and stable security national gear register race day operations risk management rules of racing racing animal welfare integrity reviews sample analytical reports staff welfare and safety. |
Sectors
Unit Sector | Greyhound, harness and thoroughbred racing codes |
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills. |
Licensing Information
Not Applicable