Glebe (Gadigal country): Abigail Boyd, Greens MP and Animal Welfare spokesperson, has today joined Kobi Shetty, Greens candidate for Balmain, and a spokesperson for the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds outside the Wentworth Park Greyhound Racetrack to announce the Greens plan to rein in animal exploitation, including by shutting down the greyhound racing industry and establishing a transition program for affected workers and communities. 

Greens MP Abigail Boyd said:

“Six years on from greyhound racing coming within a whisker of being shut down for extraordinary and well-documented animal abuses this cruel gambling-fuelled industry is again breaking records, with injuries and deaths higher than ever.

“The industry was given its second chance, and it has thoroughly failed to reform. It’s time to shut down greyhound racing for good. 

“Animals should never be raced for profit, but that doesn’t mean the people that rely on racing to make a living should go without. The Greens will support workers and communities reliant on greyhound racing to transition out of this cruel industry. 

Greens candidate for Balmain Kobi Shetty said:

“Despite public money being poured into integrity measures and track upgrades, 59 dogs lost their lives on NSW tracks last year, and one in five dogs that step foot onto a racetrack are injured. 

“Our community deserves better than dog racing. Wentworth Park is not due to close until 2027, but the dozens of dogs that are killed by this cruel industry every year simply cannot wait that long. Eight dogs have died on this track in just the past year. The Greens do not want a single additional death.

The Greens NSW have announced their plan to rein in animal exploitation, including by shutting down the greyhound racing industry and establishing a transition program for affected workers and communities.

The Greens plan will:

• Ban greyhound racing, with a one year implementation period
• Establish a transition program for industry workers and impacted communities that will:
  • reskill industry workers and support them to find new jobs
  • resource impacted communities and repurpose racetracks for community benefit 
  • Rehabilitate and rehome all affected animals
• Ban horse racing, including both thoroughbred and harness racing, with a four year implementation period
• Implement urgent welfare reforms while working towards greyhound and horse racing shutdown
• Shut down rodeos and rehome animals trapped in the industry

Further quotes attributable to Abigail Boyd, Greens MP and spokesperson for Animal Welfare:

“The greyhound racing industry has made it clear it simply refuses to prioritise welfare, and NSW has had enough. 

“The industry has rejected suggestions to introduce breeding caps, they have refused to stop building and racing on dangerous curved tracks, and recent revenue increases were invested by Greyhound Racing NSW into prize-money rather than welfare. It’s clear that nothing has changed since 2016.”

Policy: https://greens.org.au/nsw/reininginanimalexploitation 

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Greens Media Contact: Andrew Bradley p: 0412 500 009 e: [email protected] 

The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds is available for comment.
CPG Media Contact: Fiona Chisholm p: 0403 841 678 e: [email protected] 

Background: 

• Nine dogs have been killed on NSW tracks so far this year.
• 59 greyhounds died on NSW tracks in 2022, and 3643 were injured during races.
• The NSW greyhound industry regulator has just released its third quarter 2022 injury report, which reveals the highest number of third quarter track deaths since 2018, with an overall increase in track injuries.
• The Greens will end greyhound racing with a one year implementation period and a commitment of $100 million over four years. 
  • $70 million will be used to rehome and provide sanctuary for former industry dogs, $10 million will assist industry workers to transition, and $20 million will fund capital expenditure as tracks are repurposed into community assets. 
  • At least 60% of tracks will be repurposed as green space.
  • The $100 million will be funded by repurposing gambling revenue tax distributions currently going to the industry.