NSW bans greyhound racing, following inquiry, Four Corners exposé.

A Gold Walkley-winning Four Corners story on the underbelly of greyhound racing across three states has led to the NSW government announcing a permanent ban on the sport, from mid-2017.

The joint 2015 ABC-Fairfax investigation by Caro Meldrum-Hanna, led to a Special Commission of Inquiry in NSW, which found “widespread cruelty” within the industry.

Today Premier Mike Baird announced the inquiry found:

• Between 48,000–68,000 dogs were killed in past 12 years in NSW because they were too slow or otherwise unsuitable for racing
• Live baiting is widespread, with about 10–20 per cent of trainers engaged in the practice
• Greyhound Racing NSW had a policy of deliberately misreporting the number of dog deaths and injuries
• The industry is not capable of reforming over the short or medium term

Internal documents revealed senior greyhound racing administrators in NSW were actively strategising to downplay live baiting in the industry in the days before the Four Corners episode “Making a Killing” was set to air.

“Certainly this is not an easy decision,” Premier Baird said.

“It’s not something that has been taken lightly. But when confronted with Justice McHugh’s report, I believe there is no other alternative.”

He added those currently making a living from the industry would be provided with assistance.

“I feel much empathy for innocent trainers and those who will lose their job or hobby as a result of this. And I understand the disappointment of people who enjoy having a punt on the dogs,” he said.

“But we simply cannot and will not stand-by and allow the widespread and systemic mistreatment of animals.”

Animals Australia’s Shantha Hamade described the announcement as “a courageous decision in line with the community expectation”.

“What the industry revealed and the subsequent inquiry show [is] the practices entrenched in this industry do not accord with community expectations,” she said.

“We are dealing with an industry who, for more than a decade, has been founded on the practice of live baiting.

“Also an industry that has happily been responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of dogs, healthy dogs each year and so – let’s not forget the drugging of dogs for performance enhancing reasons that goes on in this industry.

“This is a culture that is entrenched and just cannot be changed.”

Last year Walkley Award judges said: “’Making a Killing’ exposes greyhound racing’s ugly secret. It took bravery, tenacity and months of planning in three states to produce a jaw-dropping report that has shaken not just the greyhound code but the entire racing industry.”

Source: ABC