SMH November 1, 2010
Today the jockeys will join forces with the ACTU to launch a campaign demanding government support for the National Jockey's Trust, a fund set up by the AJA to support injured jockeys and the bereaved families of those who die on the track.
"Australia's $5 billion racing industry depends entirely on 840 jockeys who take extreme personal risks every time they race," the ACTU president, Ged Kearney, said. "Yet jockeys don't have many of the protections of other Australian workers."
The AJA chief executive, Paul Innes, said it was "obscene" that state governments refused to contribute to the trust, despite making more than $600 million in racing tax revenue. The AJA and ACTU are asking punters to donate part of their winnings or the office sweep to the trust.
The Sydney jockey Mark Lister knows what can happen. He suffered multiple compound leg fractures during a country race meet on Melbourne Cup day last year and spent most of the next 12 months on crutches.
"I was lucky enough to have some insurance as well as a bit of support from the trust, so we had to pull our belts in, but we got by OK," said Lister.
"The problem is that after a year out you've dropped off the radar a bit. I need to get back in there quickly. In this business, if you don't ride, you don't eat."
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