Greyhound racing featured prominently at NSW Budget Estimates – Portfolio Committee No.1 – Premier and Finance – on 25 Feb 2026.
Selected highlights are below.
Obstructionist GWIC? Sour grapes?
Robert Borsak revealed that GWIC chief commissioner Alby Taylor had applied for the chief executive role at GRNSW, and was unsuccessful.
The Hon. ROBERT BORSAK: “Are you aware that, since that time, GRNSW has raised repeated concerns about GWIC’s approach, including delays, noncooperation and what it describes as “obstruction” across a number of operational matters?”
“….Do I smell a conflict of interest here with Mr Taylor, having applied for a job and then having sour grapes because he didn’t get it”
GRNSW profit-minded
Mr DAVID HARRIS: “But they have different objectives. Greyhound Racing NSW’s is to run the industry with, absolutely, animal welfare in mind but also to make a profit and to run races.”
GRNSW successfully delays new GWIC racing rule
GWIC introduced local rule LR 15A that gave GWIC the power to cancel race meetings or refuse race dates on welfare reasons.
GRNSW wrote to GWIC and the rule has been deferred for further consultation.
Borsak voiced the GRNSW position:”there’s a pattern of the regulator seeking to
exert increasing control over the commercial activity of GRNSW”
GRNSW CEO Steve Griffin fails to show at Estimates
The Hon. WES FANG: It would have been handy to have the CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW here but, of course, he dodged that.
Mr DAVID HARRIS:.. The invitation was sent. It’s up to him and Greyhound Racing NSW.
Wes Fang joins the campaign for Wagga track
The Hon. WES FANG: Mr Ben Talbot from Wagga Greyhound Racing Club hasn’t written to you and pointed out specifically where there are errors within that Deloitte report?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I’m not saying he hasn’t written. I haven’t seen it.
Broken Hill City Council campaigns for track
The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: Minister, another one of the tracks which is slated for closure is in Broken Hill. Broken Hill City Council has written to you, inviting you to come out and have a look at their track and have a look at the impact on the community.
Wentworth Park “compensation” and track upgrades
David Harris: There’s $11.8 million sitting in the account to upgrade tracks, and so with this additional $10 million, that makes $21.8 million in total of State Government money to go towards upgrading tracks.
….
The $10 million is not compensation; it’s a transitional fund.
….But there’s $21.8 million on the table for track upgrades. Let’s see how that goes when it took seven years to spend $18 million
GRNSW failure to upgrade tracks – Treasury sought $12m
David Harris: It has taken Greyhound Racing NSW seven years to spend the $18 million. I was particularly critical that they were taking too long to spend the additional. I’ve had to go back and argue twice that they be allowed to keep the money that was allocated, or that the Government keep the fund that they’re drawing on, because they hadn’t spent it.
Treasury rightly asked, “If they’re not spending the money, why is it there?” This is $10 million on top of that.
A non-existent loan at Wentworth Park
The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: ….How do you justify making a $10 million grant for country tracks conditional on the industry forgiving a $6.5 million debt that’s owed by a government trust?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: ….In terms of the loan, whilst I think it’s generally recognised there was a loan, we’ve done a search through the department, Crown Lands did a search, Greyhound Racing NSW did a search, and there is no loan contract and no documentation. We reported that to the Public Accounts Committee. In terms of that liability, there’s actually no documentary evidence of what that liability is, the terms and all of those sorts of things.
Wentworth Park didn’t have a future
Mr DAVID HARRIS: Participants were telling us, and they were telling me—and I know they told Minister Kamper the same things—that they knew a few years ago that they probably wouldn’t be continuing at Wentworth Park.
…. Participants were saying it was actually costing them too much to come into Wentworth Park.
….A lot of people have fed back—and I’ve read the social media and a whole lot of other places—that Greyhound Racing NSW has known this was coming for a long time and just stuck its head in the sand.
….The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: Before the announcement was made by the Government, what consultation was undertaken with Greyhound Racing NSW and the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I understand that there were meetings between the Premier’s Department and with Crown Lands. There was some advocacy towards us. I have to say—I don’t want to verbal anyone, but it was sort of indicated to us that there was an expectation that the lease wouldn’t be extended, so I don’t think it was any great surprise. There had been a plan for that area put out by the previous Government that had been on the public record for a while. As I said, participants were feeding back that going to Wentworth Park was becoming an issue and that they may have to look at alternatives. So the industry was sort of thinking that way as well. I don’t think there’s any great surprise.
Wentworth Park replacement – in a flood zone
Mr DAVID HARRIS:…Participants are on the edge of Sydney and so, therefore, there was great support for, for example, Richmond to be the main track. Some people talked about Camden as a possible place for another one.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: In the flood zone.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: Yes.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: Cawdor Road.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: Greyhound Racing NSW had a great penchant for purchasing land in flood zones.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: They’re doing it again.
Upgrading to minimum standards
Mr DAVID HARRIS: ….They got money. There’s $11.8 million, so now there’s $21.8 million to get tracks up to what the minimum standards will be when that standard is set, and there are still a few months to go for that to occur. They have until midyear to have those minimum standards. They’ve then got 12 months to get those tracks up to minimum standard. There is $21.8 million in the kitty, and they hadn’t spent all of the original
Giving more money doesn’t necessarily improve the outcome in terms of what the money is for.
….Of course, if more are required, then future government—because it will be after the next election—will have to make a decision around that.
The Hon. SCOTT FARLOW: So you’re opening the door to more money potentially being—
Mr DAVID HARRIS: No, what I’m saying is there’s $21.8 million to do the work. In seven years they didn’t spend that much money, so there probably is enough. But I’m not going to sit here and say that maybe there’s some unforeseen circumstances or something that may mean that it needs to be re-looked at in the future. That would be silly. But, at the moment, there are sufficient funds to do what needs to be done given, in the previous seven years, they only spent $18 million.
Shayne Stiff allegation 1 (Wentworth Park)
The Hon. EMMA HURST: My understanding is that on 20 February GWIC had a disciplinary meeting regarding CCTV footage and allegations that the president of Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club was beating a greyhound calling Terry Keeping. Are you able to give us an update on the outcome of that disciplinary meeting?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I might hand over to Mr Tutt.
Shayne Stiff allegation 2 (Dubbo)
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Are you aware of new allegations that Mr Stiff beat a 15-year-old boy at Dubbo racetrack on 14 February?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I am not.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Is GWIC aware of those allegations?
MATTHEW TUTT: Again, I’ll take that on notice but, in relation to those other matters, as they’re currently disciplinary processes we’re not in a position to provide any commentary on them.
Shayne Stiff allegation 3 (Sooty Keeping)
The Hon. EMMA HURST: ….There have been further concerns raised that Charmaine Roberts and Shayne Stiff have a dog called Sooty Keeping, who was awarded Greyhound of the Year.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: They do—joint winner.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: The dog has returned a positive swab to a category A drug recently. Have you been informed of that?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I have.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Can you tell us any more about that?
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: It should be disqualified.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: It occurred in Queensland. It’s the A swab, so I understand that Queensland—the regulator up there—is dealing with the issue. Because it didn’t happen in New South Wales, we’re sort of in the hands of the Queensland regulators.
NSW greyhound racing lowlights
The Hon. EMMA HURST: In the past few months, we’ve talked about Stephen Lambley, who has been accused of live baiting. That was on Channel 7. Martin Cini, who has a previous criminal record for bestiality-related offences—he still works at Richmond Racing Club. We’ve got Shayne Stiff, who reportedly assaulted a dog at Wentworth Park and a 15-year-old child at Dubbo racetrack. We’ve got Paul Van Gestel, who’s the acting chief steward of GWIC, who was fined for using anabolic steroids on greyhounds. And we’ve got Steve Griffin—nicknamed “Handsy”—the CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW, with accusations of sexual harassment.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: Which he denies.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Sure, but we’ve also got a lot of evidence that these allegations are true. This is a long list of concerns within this industry. What are you doing to deal with this?
Injuries in the US export rehoming program
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Minister, I might move on. We’ve talked a lot about the number of animals that have died in the US export program. However, I’m now looking at the number of dogs that have been injured. Off the top of your head, do you have the number of dogs that have been injured as part of the Aussie Mates in the States program?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: No.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: A greyhound with a grade 3 heart murmur was passed, even though there was flagging from veterinary advice to say that the dog flying long distance would be at risk. Would you be shocked to hear that the greyhound racing industry still approved that dog to fly?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I can’t comment on something I have no knowledge of. I’m happy to refer that to Greyhound Racing NSW, who oversees that program.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: A dog by the name of Ryder was sent overseas with a grade 3 to 4 heart murmur. Are you familiar with the case of Terry and Philippa, two dogs who were attacked by another dog after they arrived at LAX airport in August 2023?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: No.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Are you aware of the case of Blackie, who had a panic attack and was biting so hard on the bars of the crate he broke off his canine teeth?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: No. As I said, we don’t oversee that program.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: But, Minister, what you do oversee is the operating licence. A condition of the operating licence is that when there is a concern within the industry which could bring the industry into disrepute, they need to inform you of those cases immediately. Within a period of under six months there were 20 quite extreme injuries of dogs having their tails cut off—some of the examples I’ve just given you. Why are you not being updated on these?
Apollo Communications – Adam Connolly
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: ….Are you aware of Greyhound Racing NSW wasting money on the Apollo Communications consultancy headed by Adam Connelly, the partner of the Leader of the Opposition—and that’s just by the way. But the main point is that Connelly is a woke Liberal who would have supported the Mike Baird ban on greyhound racing. Why
would we be funding people who supported the ban on greyhound racing under the Baird regime?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: One, I’m not aware of it, and, two, that’s an operational matter for Greyhound Racing NSW.
Anti-racing Ambassadors and a drugged dog
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: You were there on the night. Can we find out from Greyhound Racing NSW how much they pay Tedesco and Moses, the rugby league players, to be ambassadors and why they showed such disrespect on the awards night of leaving straightaway after they presented their awards? Wouldn’t that money be better off going to the young disabled fellow from Casino, who I think deserves a lot more support than
these millionaire footy players who walk in and walk out of these functions not really caring about the participants and the awards, the major awards, later in the night, including greyhound of the year?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: We can ask the question.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: You can ask the question. Given the impending disqualification for Sooty Keeping, do you believe the award should now go solely to the great Power and Glory?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: That’s an operational issue for Greyhound Racing NSW, but I would assume if there’s—
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: A drugged dog shouldn’t be eligible, should it?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I would agree with that.
Hands-off Harris
The Hon. WES FANG: Ultimately, the fact that you are a hands-off Minister is for you to answer.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I’m not.
Minns Government deaf to reason
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Minister, it’s quite perplexing. We had a whole lot of scandal in relation to the greyhound racing industry again, which resulted in a whole bunch of pressure on you and your Government. The response from you was then to have a commission of inquiry and to have Assistant Commissioner Drake come on board to run that, albeit with a riding instruction that she couldn’t go as far as to say the industry should be shut down.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: No, because the Government’s policy is that the industry continues.
The phantom loan
The Hon. ROBERT BORSAK: Minister, just taking you back to the questions in relation to the GRNSW debt they say they’re owed.
….MELANIE HAWYES: I’m not here in the capacity of Crown Lands today obviously, but it was my previous role as the dep sec of Lands. There have been exhaustive reviews into that loan, including through the Public Accounts Committee, and there’s no documentation to show terms of loans or loan documentation.
Harris unsure of powers
The Hon. EMMA HURST: The Drake inquiry found that the US export program had a fatality rate 10 times higher than Greyhound Racing’s target catastrophic injury rate, which Commissioner Drake described as a shocking statistic. We talked this morning about the fact that not only are there a lot of dogs dying in this rehoming program but there’s also a case of mass injuries happening within this program. Can you not make ending the program a condition of Greyhound Racing’s operating licence?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I’m not sure.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: You’re not sure if you have the power to do that?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: I can take it on notice. I’m not sure, under the current legislation, whether I can do that.
RDA – pie in the sky
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: One of the matters that Mr Griffin is raising in relation to track closures for greyhounds—I think he is doing way too many track closures too quickly—is the prospect of changing the inter-code agreement and the funding distribution. That’s pie in the sky, isn’t it, I would have thought?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: … It would be up to the participants themselves to want to enter into a new agreement.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: So it ain’t happening.
Mr DAVID HARRIS: The RDA itself is—TAB’s involvement has about nine years to run, but the agreement had no end point, really.
The Hon. MARK LATHAM: This is TAB under the new management, is it? Gil McLachlan?
Mr DAVID HARRIS: Yes. I think their exclusivity rights end in nine years. If all the parties are in agreement, they may want to look at it then.
GWIC to conceal evidence of cruelty
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Once the whole matter is complete, though, is there a reason why you wouldn’t be able to provide that CCTV footage?
MATTHEW TUTT: Again, it’s certainly not the practice of the commission to publicly release
information that’s part of its disciplinary processes. That would certainly be a matter that we would have to consider in the fullness of time. But it’s generally not a practice that the commission does, to publicly release evidence that’s part of a disciplinary process or the subsequent appeal process.
The Hon. EMMA HURST: Or even after the case is completed entirely?
MATTHEW TUTT: At any stage, that’s right.
Why weren’t there interim suspensions
MATTHEW TUTT: Again, I’m not going into details of the particular matter. We don’t comment in relation to those particular matters.
….Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: It was caught on camera, so you’d think that that was pretty conclusive.
MATTHEW TUTT: Again, I can’t go into the details of that particular matter.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Is it really just because the stewards just don’t think it’s that big a deal to punch a dog, in your industry?
Bad apples
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: There seems to be a significant number of bad apples in the greyhound racing industry. What do you think about Greyhound Racing NSW elevating some of those baddest of bad apples onto working groups? Mr Ken Burnett is now one of the members of the Sydney Metropolitan Racing Precinct Working Group, despite the biggest long list of disciplinary actions and misconduct that’s occurred. Does GWIC have any powers or influence over the kinds of people that get elevated within the greyhound racing industry?
MATTHEW TUTT: Not in relation to GRNSW bodies. They’re matters for GRNSW.
GRNSW unregulated
MATTHEW TUTT: Importantly, the commission’s not responsible for regulating GRNSW. The
commission’s responsible for regulating the industry—that’s participants. Our legislative powers are quite clear from the Greyhound Racing Act. But we don’t have any regulatory role when it comes to GRNSW.
Minimum track standards
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: With those minimum track standards, I understand there are no tracks at the moment that meet them. Is that correct?
MATTHEW TUTT: Yes, that’s my understanding.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: So, we have zero tracks at the moment that meet the minimum standards. They were set back in 2020, so the industry’s already had a good, long time. What is the deadline that you are giving them to get there?
MATTHEW TUTT: Again, it’s not the commission’s deadline, it’s the Government’s deadline. I believe it’s 30 June 2027, is that right?
TAREK BARAKAT: Yes. The track standards have to be agreed and complete by 30 June this year. Tracks have to be upgraded against those revised standards by 30 June next year.
How many more chances?
TAREK BARAKAT: I think the idea was that, off the back of the Drake report, the industry would be given a chance with GWIC to revise the standards. They will then be given a chance to upgrade the tracks to meet those standards. If those two things don’t occur, the Minister may choose to suspend racing or cancel the operating licence.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: This industry gets a lot of second chances, third chances and fourth chances, doesn’t it?
Heat policy
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Mr Tutt, the Drake report also recommended lowering the maximum racing temperature to 34 degrees. What’s happening with that recommendation? Is there any research or review being done?
MATTHEW TUTT: There is. That’s one of the statements of expectations of the commission. We are currently reviewing that, including obtaining scientific and veterinary information. That’s going to be subject to our response to the Government by 30 June, but it is certainly well advanced—having a look at a whole lot of veterinary and other factors that ensure that there are high welfare standards, especially in hot temperatures, which occurs, of course, at this time of year.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD: Will veterinary expertise be sought as part of that review?
MATTHEW TUTT: Yes. In fact, the draft documentation that we’ve got has been authored by veterinary practitioners.
Ms ABIGAIL BOYD:….Is it the case that there’s no requirement for the transportation to and from the tracks to be air conditioned?
MATTHEW TUTT: Yes, that’s right.