NSW greyhound racing in turmoil after damning report

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The chief executive of Greyhound Racing New South Wales has resigned just hours after a damning report into the organisation was tabled in parliament and then withdrawn.

Transcript

00:00Well, the CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW, Rob McCauley, resigned yesterday and his resignation

00:07came the same day that a damning report was tabled in the NSW Parliament by the former

00:13Chief Veterinary Officer of Greyhound Racing NSW, which outlined a series of pretty damning

00:18allegations of animal welfare breaches against Greyhound Racing NSW.

00:23Now that report was tabled in Parliament following a call for papers, but it was very quickly

00:28withdrawn after being declared privileged.

00:31It wasn't withdrawn before one media outlet, the Sydney Morning Herald, could see that

00:35report while it was still publicly available and publish some of those allegations contained

00:40within it.

00:41Now, as I said, that report was penned by the former Chief Veterinary Officer for Greyhound

00:45Racing NSW, Alex Britton, and in his report he described the treatment of racing greyhounds

00:51in NSW as barbaric and said that the number of greyhound deaths is being hidden from the

00:57public.

00:58Now, what he outlined was that he says the true number of greyhound deaths in NSW is

01:03more than 3,300, which is three times the number being publicly stated by the state's

01:10Greyhound Welfare Integrity Commission.

01:12Alex Britton also said that the number of greyhounds being rehomed is being inflated.

01:17He says that there are around 4,000 greyhounds entering the industry every year in NSW, but

01:23only around 1,500 are being rehomed.

01:26And this former chief vet says that the remainder of these dogs are simply being caged, living

01:31out their days in these cages at boarding facilities.

01:35He's also called into question a travel allowance, which he says encourages owners to race their

01:40dogs more often and has, what he said, has led to an increase in injuries.

01:45And he's also questioned the minimum two-day rest period, saying that it's physiologically

01:50impossible for the dogs to recover in that period of time.

01:53So a very damning series of allegations of animal welfare within greyhound racing in

01:58NSW.

01:59Jess, what's been the response to this?

02:01Well, the Gaming and Racing Minister, David Harris, says that he was made aware of this

02:05report in mid-June and he immediately asked for a copy of it and referred it to the integrity

02:11and enforcement agencies.

02:14He also, last week, issued a show cause to the board members of Greyhound Racing in NSW

02:19asking them to justify their ongoing positions with the organisation.

02:24So they have until Friday to meet that demand, that show cause demand, and the Minister says

02:29he will have more to say.

02:31But this all comes with following months of allegations of animal welfare issues within

02:37the greyhound racing industry that go back until February last year.

02:41And this latest report that was tabled in Parliament and then withdrawn will no doubt

02:46reignite this issue in NSW.

02:49Greyhound racing has been vexed for quite some time.

02:52It was almost eight years ago that the former Premier, Mike Baird, banned greyhound racing

02:57in NSW off the back of a series of welfare issues such as live baiting and blooding within

03:03the sport.

03:05He then reinstated greyhound racing after pressure from the Nationals and Labor opposition

03:10at the time.

03:12And this latest incident has prompted the opposition, the Liberal-National opposition,

03:18to come out and call on the government to secure the industry because it does employ

03:23more than 4,500 people across the state.

03:26So it is a huge issue.

03:28We also have had crossbench parties seize on this.

03:31So the Animal Justice Party and the Greens in NSW calling for an immediate parliamentary

03:36inquiry into animal welfare standards.

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