Letter to Mike Baird: You MUST Enforce Industry Reforms - Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds

In light of the disappointing news that the greyhound racing ban is off, we must pull together for the greyhounds and take action. Mike Baird, in his announcement that he was backflipping on the most courageous decision ever made by a government, said the industry is going to reform – so let’s hold him to it! Here’s how you can take action.

On 11 Oct 2016, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird officially confirmed after months of speculation and negative press (particularly by Newscorp-owned media outlets, whose parent company recently bought punters.com.au – read the Crikey expose here) that he was backflipping on the greyhound racing ban. The official reasons given were that the community wanted to give greyhound racing a second chance (news to us! Especially since the majority of NSW and ACT residents support the ban) and that the industry was willing to reform (excuse us if we are sceptical, as we’ve seen this too many times).

In the 11 Oct 2016 ABC article about this disappointing turn of events, government ministers reassured readers that tough new measures would be taken to ensure that the industry does not simply go back to its bad old ways:

Ministers have told the ABC the new deal will have conditions attached and some of the key changes will be the same as those proposed by the greyhound industry, including:

Capping breeding to 2,000

Reducing the number of tracks

Reducing the number of race events

Whole-of-life dog cycle management

$1,500 bond for every dog bred

So, how are these reforms going?

By 14 Oct 2016, or within three days of the ban reversal, the leader of the NSW Greyhound Racing Industry Alliance and president of Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Brenton Scott retracted the promises he made in his 9 Aug 2016 letter to Baird (notably the breeding cap), saying “the industry has not been locked in”.

Mia the rescue greyhound — The industry backflipping on its promises to reform? I could’ve told you that was going to happen.

An industry grassroots group also celebrated the ban’s reversal by declaring that they would “turn our attention to those that made submissions in the McHugh report, their crime will not go unpunished” – despite their months-long campaign to get Mike Baird to implement McHugh’s other 79 recommendations, which were based on those very same submissions and expert testimonies, instead of a complete ban. When a journalist reported this threat against inquiry witnesses, the group threatened the journalist as well. There is no evidence of contrition or regret for the acts of animal cruelty or animal welfare transgressions that led to the ban in the first place, or gratitude that they have been given a second chance against the public’s wishes.

The industry also, in a major slap to the face for the NSW government, killed FIVE two-year-old greyhounds at the track within four days of the ban reversal:

Paddy Casey – killed 13 Oct after injury in the Dubbo ‘Save Greyhound Racing’ maiden.
Signature Time – euthanised at Maitland track on 13 Oct.
Roses N Roses – put down on 14 Oct at Casino for a fractured foreleg.
Blue Pointer – euthanised for a broken hock on 14 Oct at Casino. Ironically, two weeks before his death his owner publicly rubbished ‘animal activist’ claims about wastage in an article.
(Click here to read more)
Winsome Spring – euthanised 15 Oct at Wentworth Park due to injuries sustained in a horrific multi-dog crash.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Jr9hEzndX4]
Roses N Roses is trampled by another dog and falls. She was euthanised post-race.

And then of course, there are all the other things that lovely industry participants have been saying about how they are going to reform – or rather, fight any kind of reform because they feel entitled to doing whatever they like. (Full collection of screenshots here.)

Greyhound Racing Participants Reject Reform — Industry ‘willingness to reform’ in action

Angry? You should be.

Far from being repentant and willing to reform as Baird portrays them in his backflip announcement, industry participants are as arrogant and entitled as they were before the live baiting scandal, before the McHugh inquiry, before the ban – possibly even more so now than ever before, because they think they own the government.

We need to speak up for the greyhounds. Please email Mike Baird ([email protected]) and NSW MPs (see list at the bottom of this blog) the following words. Remember to attach screenshots from this collection to your email.

Mr. Baird and NSW Members of Parliament,

I am deeply disappointed that the NSW government has not stuck to its word to ban greyhound racing by mid-2017.

Did you know:

Within one day of your announcement that the ban would be reversed, industry participants were threatening to make witnesses and submission writers to the McHugh inquiry pay for their “crimes”.

Within three days of your repeal of the ban, greyhound racing industry alliance withdrew their promise to cut breeding to 2,000 dogs a year immediately.

Within four days of your backflip on the ban, industry participants have killed five young greyhounds at the track alone for sustaining injuries while racing (Paddy Casey, Signature Time, Roses N Roses, Blue Pointer and Winsome Spring).

Within five days of your retraction of the ban, industry participants have expressed what they really think of reform: that they shouldn’t have to. See attached screenshots proving this.

It would seem that nothing has changed despite the industry’s promises to reform. Are you going to stick to your word to make them reform, even though they are unwilling to do so?

Now that the Coalition government, the Labor party, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and the Christian Democratic Party are all saying the same thing – that greyhound racing is on its last chance to reform – I expect to see every single one of your promised reform measures implemented without any watering down:

Capping breeding to 2,000 – this MUST be a total figure of breeding overall throughout the state
Reducing the number of tracks
Reducing the number of race events
Whole-of-life dog cycle management – this MUST be publicly available information
$1,500 bond for every dog bred

You are our democratically-elected representatives and two thirds of our state wants to see this industry gone. Since the ban has been reversed, the only way you can still represent our interests in this matter is to ensure these simple reforms take place. Please ensure that you do not fail in your promises this time.

Thank you.

NSW Members of Parliament: