End funding for Tasmanian greyhound racing by 2029

n Tasmania has the most scandal ridden greyhound racing sector in Australia.

Media coverage has been extensive and unrelenting. An e-petition to state parliament calling for an end to taxpayer funding of the industry broke all records.

A survey conducted by leading polling firm EMRS found an overwhelming majority of Tasmanians oppose the state’s greyhound racing industry. You can find out more in the survey snapshot below.

Ten dog welfare organisations have united to convince the state government that it should be planning ahead to withdraw all subsidies for dog racing when the current funding ‘deed’ expires in 2029. These range from RSPCA Tasmania to Tasmanian Dog Walking Clubs, as well as specific greyhound welfare organisations. This would allow time for an orderly transition and for all participants to be redeployed and retrained and for dogs to be rehomed.

You can find out more about the campaign and how you can help below. 

Latest news: leading Tasmanian vets call for an end to greyhound racing

In December 2024, 38 Tasmanian veterinary professionals called for an end to the funding of greyhound racing in the state by 2029.

Dr Katrina Ward said that “recently legislated reforms do nothing meaningful to address the inescapable fact that gentle and affectionate dogs are used as cannon fodder. Greyhounds are the most systematically abused dogs in Australia.”

In the video below, Channel 7 News covers the press conference where the vets called for an end to the cruelty and inhumanity of greyhound racing. They are joined by some extraordinary greyhounds.

The press conference featured a graphic video of the suffering of greyhounds killed on racetracks. The video is available here, it comes with this warning:

“This video contains distressing content. All footage was sourced from racing industry websites. Footage is in slow motion for clarity.”

The campaign to end funding of Tasmanian greyhound racing

The campaign is advised by external, well qualified strategists and has many prongs including opinion polling, unified, consistent messaging across all stakeholder platforms, recruitment of high profile influencers and lobbying (public and private).

Grants are being sought and the campaign is also being crowdfunded. Money raised will be spent on lobbying, research and advertising. Every cent will be accounted for, and any money that is left over will be donated to charities that help to re-home greyhounds that are discarded by the industry.

Tasmanian Racing Regulation

  • Serious lack of regard for, or investment in, the welfare of greyhounds in the Tasmanian racing industry.
  • Alarming lack of information in relation to doping controls within the Tasmanian racing industry.
  • The Tasmanian government continues to ignore the findings of government-initiated inquiries and reviews identifying problems and recommending clear practices and initiatives to improve welfare.
Read the report on how TasRacing and the Tasmanian Government continue to fail greyhounds

Government Smoke and Mirrors

Put simply, if a multiplier effect was included for all existing industries in Tasmania when estimating their economic contribution to the State, the combined effect would be that Tasmania’s economy would be two or three times its current size.
Tasmanian Treasury on the economic methodology used in TasRacing industry reports
 
Read the report on how the Tasmanian government uses racing industry misinformation to justify taxpayer funding,

Tasmanian poll reveals overwhelming opposition to dog racing

The result of the most comprehensive opinion poll ever conducted into greyhound racing in Tasmania reveals overwhelming public opposition to dog racing.

The survey was conducted in October 2023 by EMRS, Tasmania’s leading polling and research organisation. The survey found that three quarters of all Tasmanians oppose government funding of the greyhound race industry, including 55 per cent who say they are strongly opposed to it.

Below is a quick snapshot of the key survey responses presented as charts. Click here to download a comprehensive survey document including the methodology employed.  

The catalyst for the end funding campaign including this poll was the well-publicised death of a Bullock trained dog, Tah Bernard, in late 2021. The result was a 13,500 signature parliamentary e-petition last year. The petition called for an end to taxpayer funding of dog racing. It smashed the previous record for e-petitions to the state’s lower house.

Each year, the Tasmanian government provides approximately $6m of funding to the Tasmanian greyhound racing industry. Which of the following best describes how you feel about this support?

I would consider changing my vote to support a party that promised to stop funding the greyhound racing industry in Tasmania.

Now thinking about greyhound racing, how likely or unlikely are you to attend a race in the next 12 months?

The government should stop funding greyhound racing because taxpayer money is better spent on other things.

A scandal ridden industry

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