by Warren Young, Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
A social licence to operate refers to the acceptance granted to a company or organisation by the community. An organisation operating under a social licence has a focus on being ethical, sustainable and socially responsible. This is not a legal licence, but it is an expectation of any industry that it is worthy of continuing its practice.
Greyhound racing has a legal licence to operate in most Australian states and territories, but that is changing with Tasmania in the process of ending commercial greyhound racing. The ACT banned the industry in 2018.
Most of Australia continues to allow greyhound racing without a social licence to operate. Dr Mia Cobb from the University of Melbourne says there has been a fundamental change in the way people think about animals, so that we’ve moved beyond simply wanting to protect dogs from harm, to expecting that they can enjoy good lives. The greyhound racing industry clearly prioritises profits over animal welfare. A recent review of greyhound racing in NSW focused on 7 criteria to optimise the financial viability of its clubs, and only 2 of these had anything to do with greyhound welfare.
Researchers from the University of Melbourne Veterinary Faculty, analysed social licence in relation to animal welfare and concluded that greyhound racing currently faces an erosion of its social licence to operate, especially due to how poorly animal welfare issues have been handled.
Australians have made it clear in surveys that they do not support greyhound racing. Australians also indicated they are less likely to support politicians who use taxpayer funds for the greyhound racing industry.
So why are the major political parties out of step with the majority of their constituents? One reason is that state governments have a perception that greyhound racing significantly contributes to the economy e.g. jobs. This false claim stems from misinformation from the industry which attempts to justify its legitimacy.
Another reason that governments appear blinded to public sentiments is that they have succumb to the powerful gambling lobby, which is the single greatest contributor of donations to the major political parties.
Other industries
One example of an industry that has a questionable social licence to operate is fossil fuel mining. Today most people understand that a driver of climate change is carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels, and that sustainable green energy sources must take over to create a healthy planet. Since fossil fuels are still being mined with little regard for the environment, this industry has lost the trust of the communities in which it operates.
Greyhound racing is the same. People perceive it as unethical, lacking transparency, untrustworthy and unsustainable. Phasing out this industry may “ruffle a few feathers” (just like fossil fuel mining), but without a social licence, it is the appropriate outcome, as it is for the vast majority of the countries around the world.