The Mayor of Penrith in western Sydney, Todd Carney, recently expressed his support for greyhound racing at the Richmond track.
He’s either been negligent in not conducting his own research, or swallowed the industry propaganda without questioning.
No right-minded public official would support greyhound racing. Here are the real facts that the Mayor and the Penrith Council must be aware of.
- According to regulator GWIC, 1007 greyhounds were reported dead by participants in FY25/26. Of these, there were 54 track deaths, 321 dogs died from accidents or injuries, 129 died from “unknown causes”, and 400 died from illness.
- GWIC data shows 27 race track deaths in NSW so far in 2026.
- NSW greyhound racing has Australia’s highest injury rate
- GRNSW has revealed that 4,100 greyhounds are currently waitlisted for rehoming.
- The Drake Inquiry recommended the immediate cessation of the cruel and harmful US export rehoming program.
- In its “PR campaign” of June 2026, Greyhound Racing NSW claimed that greyhound racing is not taxpayer funded. In 2017 the NSW Government committed $30m to greyhound track infrastructure – the Richmond club has received $1.5m from taxpayers. .
- There is no independent analysis of the economic benefits of greyhound racing. The consultancy used by GRNSW produces claims that are “egregiously exaggerated”, according to economist Saul Eslake.
- The 2025 Drake Inquiry made 65 recommendations after finding “significant governance and operational failures.” Many key recommendations remain unimplemented.
- GRNSW continues to cover up unsafe racetracks by concealing race videos that show racing incidents.
- On 17 September 2026, NSW Parliament heard that five women at GRNSW had put in formal sexual harassment reports to SafeWork in July 2026.
- Greyhound racing is a gambling business and contributes to the more than 400 gambling-related suicides in Australia each year
Greyhound racing in NSW is shrinking and is unsustainable. The crown jewel, Wentworth Park, will close in October, following the closures of Dapto, Muswellbrook, Broken Hill, Coonamble, Kempsey, Moree, Potts Park, Tamworth, Wauchope, and Young.
Despite multiple reforms, greyhound racing in NSW is still marked by poor regulation and a cruel, corrupt and violent culture.
The troubled Richmond track
The Richmond racing facility stands out for the degree of greyhound suffering and questionable management.
- GWIC stewards reports show there were 31 on-track deaths and 3,697 injuries at the racing complex for the period 2020-2026.
- Notable deaths included “Bounding Rupee”, killed after running into the Richmond catching pen gate in June 2026, and “Despicable Otto”, suffering a hip fracture at Richmond Straight in December 2025, and dying five days later.
- This year, the Richmond circle track is recording NSW’s highest number of total injuries, and Australia’s 2nd-highest.
- In 2025, the Richmond complex recorded 601 total injuries, with 147 in the most serious Category D injury category.
- In FY26, GWIC data shows that the “safe” Richmond straight track recorded by far the worst injury rate in NSW for serious Category D injuries.
- In FY26, GWIC data shows that the Richmond circle track recorded an injury rate higher than the NSW average
- The Drake Inquiry found that no NSW track met minimum standards – including Richmond.
- Richmond Racing Club employed a person with a known previous criminal record for bestiality-related offences
- Club president Melinda Finn was the first greyhound trainer to be banned for doping her dogs with EPO. A Sydney Morning Herald article said she had been “busted four times for doping her dogs with a potentially lethal performance-enhancing drug” at Wentworth Park. In 2019, Finn was also found guilty of possessing shock collars, which are classified as a device “that is capable of inflicting undue suffering on a greyhound”.
- The SMH also reported a trainer abusing a Richmond racing steward: “ ‘Fat f—ing c—,’ the woman said to the steward, numerous times, before telling him she’d kill him, she’d bash him…. She then attacked the steward physically, trying to ‘headbutt him first’, a witness said, before ‘throwing punches at him’.”
- The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds is in possession of a letter that details disturbing developments at the Richmond club.
- Nine News reported a violent brawl at the Richmond Club in December 2025.
Perhaps Mr Carney and the Council could work with greyhound welfare advocates to improve transparency, improve animal welfare standards, and uncover the true picture of the cruelty occurring at the Richmond track.
Links:
https://www.gwic.nsw.gov.au/news/industry-data-reports/injury-report