Ray Hadley is one of Australia’s most prominent broadcasters. He recently won his ratings slot for the 157th consecutive survey.
He’s also one of the biggest cheerleaders of greyhound racing. He fought hard to overturn Premier Mike Baird’s ban in NSW.
Which is why the revelations on The Ray Hadley Breakfast Show during May 2024 have shaken the racing industry to the core.
Following a wagering collapse, Greyhound Racing NSW tried an “organisational reset” that involved closing down the Wyee GAP facility and making it a “depot” for the dogs being sent to the US. Then all hell broke loose.
25 people lost their jobs at Wyee. Many quickly went to the media, with Ray Hadley (2GB and other stations) picking up the cause. Whistleblowers also contacted CPG.
The resulting revelations painted a damning picture of a cruel, corrupt and untrustworthy industry, and excoriated the key players, including a hands-off racing minister.
The key revelations included:
Wyee GAP: unsafe, dirty, sub-standard
2GB was sent dozens of photographs that showed appalling conditions at Wyee and dreadful treatment of greyhounds.
As described by Hadley: “we’ve got corrugated iron off walls, rusty corrugated iron, you’ve got injuries to greyhounds there. Obviously, you’ve got fences and gates that allow the dogs to get their paws and heads underneath and get squashed underneath it. You’ve got head injuries, leg injuries and a whole range of other injuries.”
Other claims:
- Most of the 50 greyhounds are being sent to boarding facilities or other GAPs. Some of the dogs are on specialised medication or are in the middle of behaviour modification plans and programs
- 13 of the dogs are being sent to the US in an unprepared state (Puddles, Dusty, Pete, Cooper, Aimee, Tina, Rosie, Buster, Trent, Latte, Rebel, Spider, Hazel)
- Another GAP facility, at Londonderry, is being overwhelmed with the influx of dogs, with staff working huge hours to adequately care for the dogs.
- An expensive dog training program was introduced, but was more appropriate for four-week old puppies than four-year old greyhounds “with PTSD”.
GRNSW tried to counter the claims, with CEO Macaulay saying the Wyee facility was maintained to high standards. Hadley replied: “that’s just one of the many inaccuracies put out by Greyhound Racing New South Wales.”
Note this local news story: https://coastcommunitynews.com.au/central-coast/news/2024/06/employees-in-shock-as-greyhound-facility-repurposed/
Mistreatment and bullying of staff
Whistleblowers described being “frogmarched” off the Wyee facility when told to leave, like “common criminals”. Macaulay denied security guards were involved; whistleblowers named them and the security firm.
A young woman told Hadley: “Sometimes they are called to meetings with senior male members of the executive of Greyhound Racing NSW. They’re in the room alone with these men, or this man, as the case may be, who firmly shuts the door behind them and then intimidates them.”
Two female vets have gone. One is on stress leave, the other, “a very respected vet, was basically sent packing because of a disagreement about welfare with the chief executive.”
Rehoming: bonuses and sales targets
Under GRNSW CEO Robert Macaulay, changes were made to the business of rehoming. Whereas previously, GAP staff were given bonuses for the number of greyhounds rehomed, , the bonuses now stay in head office – worth more than $300,000 if all KPIs are met.
Hadley: “there’s a rort going on with the rehoming figures”:
- Dogs that get de-sexed and still stay with the trainer are counted as being rehomed.
- Dogs who retire and stay with the trainer or the owner, are counted as being rehomed.
- “someone at head office gets a bonus every time a greyhound is rehomed”
“Aussie Mates in the States” program
Greyhound Racing NSW thought it could solve the rehoming crisis by sending Australian greyhounds to the US under the cynically named Aussie Mates in the States scheme.
Some of the dogs are sent to ex-police officers and defence force members with PTSD.
Qantas Freight is the carrier for the program, which was created with no input from animal welfare agencies. The truth about Aussie Mates was revealed on the Ray Hadley show:
- at least three greyhounds have died in transit to the US (two more than publicly revealed)
- greyhounds are arriving in the US with no homes, and being warehoused in kennels, languishing.
- under relaxed guidelines, greyhounds are being sent to the US with heart conditions to meet KPI rehoming targets
- US Facebook groups are crying for donations and help with medical bills. The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas is begging for money and foster carers.
- It costs more than $6,000 to send each greyhound to US
Hadley described the program as “where you pack them off, Mr Macaulay, to the United States of America, and don’t worry too much about what happens then.”
“….it’s not successful in any way, shape or form…I would say the re-homing to the USA has been a complete and utter failure and it should be suspended immediately.”
He described it as a “cash grab with bonuses being paid to executives for rehoming greyhounds.”
“You need to find out what is happening to the dogs sent to the United States of America. 800 I’m told, in total, where are they. Are they still alive?”
Previous racing minister Kevin Anderson added: “I’ve raised suspicions about the American connection there as well, that it just doesn’t seem to add up”
Hadley update on 31 May: “from what I’ve been told, it appears that Qantas, who were one of the airlines transporting greyhounds, have decided they don’t want to transport greyhounds anymore because three greyhounds have died out of New South Wales on their way to the United States of America.”
Questionable business practices
Hadley received a lot of information about how GRNSW runs its business. There have been many articles on Robert Macaulay over the years.
Hadley observed: “there’s a lot of people that previously worked with Rob that seem to have positions in Greyhound Racing or are making money out of Greyhound Racing.”
The GRNSW Board has refused to release an independent report into allegations of nepotism and corruption inside Greyhound Racing NSW – even after requests from racing minister David Harris.
Hadley has spoken to the Daily Telegraph’s Annette Sharp, “who’s been writing about this stuff until she’s got hand cramps.” Annette was said to have made four separate requests under freedom of information to obtain the secret report, and been knocked back every time.
A furious Hadley couldn’t restrain himself:
- “The whole thing stinks to high heaven”.
- “There’s something not quite right about Greyhound Racing NSW.”
- “some of the biggest dopes are currently employed by Greyhound Racing NSW.”
- “They’re a bunch of cowboys and the lies being told and the manipulations of the truth are there for you to see.”
GRNSW leadership
The performance of the GRNSW CEO, Robert Macaulay, and the GRNSW Board received a savaging from an incensed Ray Hadley.
After Macaulay tried to deny the whistleblower claims, and said everything was wonderful, Hadley told his audience that “Macaulay misled me yesterday”, and addressed him directly: “Your behaviour is reprehensible. You’re a disgrace.”
In writing to GRNSW stakeholders, Macaulay dismissed the allegations and complaints as coming from anti-racing and anti-greyhound people.
To which Hadley could only reply: “Well, you could hardly call me an anti-racing activist…as someone who started his career calling dogs at Appin, Bulli, and Nowra, 42 years ago, I have a great affection for greyhound racing and the people involved, and I don’t like the way some of them are being treated at the moment by head office.”
After days of gut-wrenching allegations, Hadley couldn’t believe that the GRNSW board still backed Macaulay: “inexplicably, the Chief Executive apparently still retains the confidence of those board members. Some of them very distinguished people.”
The board has apparently refused to release an independent report into allegations of nepotism and corruption inside GRNSW.
(For the record, the GRNSW Board was announced in September 2023: Adam Casselden [chair], Paul Gentle, Louise Wakefield, Gregory Johnson, Rebekah Giles, Matthew Waring, Kevin Gordon)
Racing Minister David Harris and RSPCA – where are they?
The tsunami of allegations and accusations prompted some obvious questions – where was racing minister David Harris while GRNSW failed the greyhounds? Where was the RSPCA while the dogs were suffering?
Every mention of Harris underlined an image of a weak, hands-off, and invisible racing minister. As Hadley summarised the minister’s actions: “I’m singly unimpressed with David Harris.”
An incredulous Hadley couldn’t believe his ears: “I spoke to the Minister David Harris this morning, who said he can’t sack Macaulay but he can sack the board. I suggest he do exactly that after he told me, and listen to this, the board has refused to release an independent report into allegations of nepotism and corruption inside Greyhound Racing NSW.”
It’s worth publishing several of Hadley’s reactions:
“Sack Macaulay. He said, I can’t. I said, why can’t you? He said, well, I can’t. I said, who can you sack? He said, the board. I said, good, sack them. Oh, that’s difficult. I said, no, it’s not. If you’ve got the will to do it, sack them because they’re allowing this bloke to operate in the method he’s operating on.”
“…a minister in charge of a sport is tolerating a board, not showing him what a report says. Minister Harris, you need to grow a set. And you need to grow a set rather quickly, because what’s happening at the moment is just simply disgraceful.”
“You can’t sack the CEO, you tell me, but you can certainly lean on the board which you appoint. And I’d suggest you lean very strongly right now. Unbelievable.”
“…if all of this is not enough for David Harris, the Minister to take action, I’m buggered if I know what is.”
“…the lies being perpetrated by Greyhound Racing New South Wales are being swallowed hook, line and sinker by the Minister David Harris.”
Many of Hadley’s listeners also noticed the conspicuous absence of RSPCA, and he agreed with one listener who wrote “Where’s the bloody RSPCA?”
An illegal knackery, a GWIC member, and the killing of a non-chasing greyhound
Ray Hadley appeared at the Brumbies Inquiry, providing evidence about an illegal knackery which had the bodies of 260 brumbies, slaughtered by “a bloke called Adrian Talbot”. Ray alleged the meat was sold to greyhound trainers in Northern Victoria and across New South Wales.
Adrian’s brother is Ben Talbot, greyhound trainer, chairman of the Wagga Wagga Greyhound Racing Club, and a GWIC advisory panel member representing the Riverina.
The Brumby Inquiry Chair, AJP’s Emma Hurst, revealed that Ben Talbot had earlier been disqualified for, said Hadley, “basically killing a greyhound, not because of injury, but because it was penalised for failing to chase.”
Talbot had been disqualified for the death of Better Cruise, who had been penalised for failing to pursue the lure with due commitment. After a race meeting Better Cruise was taken from the kennels, placed in the back of Talbot’s SUV, and euthanased by vet Dr Sayer.
“So we’re not talking about a greyhound being injured here. We’re talking about a vet putting the greyhound down because it doesn’t want to be a greyhound anymore, it doesn’t want to race, at the request of this bloke, Ben Talbot,” said Hadley.
In February 2023 GWIC commissioner Alby Taylor welcomed Ben Talbot to the GWIC Industry Participant Advisory Council.
“(I)f you think it’s fair, Alby Taylor, to appoint a bloke who’s been previously disqualified for killing a greyhound on the integrity panel for greyhound racing, you might be on another planet than the one I’m on,” said Hadley.
Subsequently GWIC stood down Talbot as a member of the Advisory Council in light of an ongoing investigation by the Dept of Primary Industries.
Hadley responded: “don’t worry about the DPI investigation, he should never have been there in the first place….how do you have a bloke on an advisory council when he’d been found guilty of killing a greyhound, not because of injury, because the poor dog didn’t chase.”
A shrinking industry: track closures and PR spin
The collapse in wagering inevitably resulted in a contraction of GRSNW’s business. GRNSW responded by closing non-TAB tracks, which the propaganda team spun as a “new track safety and welfare strategy”.
Australian Associated Press might have been fooled by the spin (“Greyhound racing turns corner with track safety plans”) but not Ray Hadley:
“Now, all non-TAB racing will cease across NSW. So, Coonamble’s gone…Moree’s gone. They’re saying that Maitland will be retained. But I have information that that’s not correct, that eventually the idea is to get rid of Maitland. I’m told that in relation to the improvements to one of the tracks, which they budgeted for at about $1.2 million, it came in at over $4 million.”
“No wonder they’ve got no money. Musselbrook budgeted for $1.2 million in a by-election that was fought in that region. And the greyhound track was part of that promise from the previous government. It’s ballooned out to $4 million. Taree, which they say will be finished by 2027, 2028, the budget was $3 million, it’s out to $6 million now.”
Harris decides to intervene
As previously noted, racing minister David Harris declined to intervene in the areas of alleged animal cruelty, corruption, and nepotism. But he was quick to ensure the Labor party was protected.
Hadley: “Maitland was gone. But David Harris intervened. Why? Because it’s a Labor seat. And Jenny Atkinson happens to be the local member who’s a Minister in the Minns’ government. And I don’t think it would be too popular to close down Maitland as a greyhound track. So it appears that David Harris demanded more info before the board signed off on getting rid of Maitland. So Maitland will probably survive because of what’s happened there in relation to the intervention.”
As Hadley pointed out, it wasn’t the first time a minister cynically intervened to shore up votes.
The Musselbrook track in the Hunter Valley was opened in March 2023. Then racing minister Kevin Anderson, Member for the Upper Hunter, David Layzell, and GRNSW CEO, Rob Macaulay, attended the opening ceremony.
Hadley: “the only reason all the money was spent on Musselbrook was because the Nationals held it and they wanted to keep it. And greyhound racing is very popular in regional areas. And so in the middle of that sort of belt of Labor seats, they wanted to retain Musselbrook….so they spent all the money there to retain the seat for David Layzell. And they did.”
Taking it to the Premier of NSW
Hadley was scheduled to have a meeting with the premier of NSW, Chris Minns. Greyhound racing “now becomes one of the most important issues I’ll address.”
To Ray Hadley, “It’s about animal cruelty. It’s about staff being treated in the most disgraceful, disgusting way. And it’s about men bullying women.”
We’ll see if Premier Minns abandons the greyhounds like everyone else with the power to help.