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Further implications
There are those who are concerned that the greyhound industry in Australia is beyond effective reform. Stephen Rushton SC told the New South Wales Special Commission into Greyhound Racing, 'What is needed is concrete and credible measures which demonstrate that this industry can adopt, has adopted, and will maintain animal welfare standards which are consistent with the expectations of 21st century Australians...That may not be possible. I doubt that it is possible.'
One of the major reservations that has been expressed about the industry's capacity to reform is that self-regulation is incompatible with trainers' desire to generate a larger income stream. According to this argument, while those in the industry, including trainers, largely monitor their own conduct, there is insufficient incentive for them to turn away from cruel but profitable practices.
It has been suggested that after the Four Corners' revelations and the inquiries that followed it, the industry is likely to respond by keeping its abusive practices even further away from the public eye.
On February 17, 2015, The Conversation published a comment by Clive Phillips, Professor of Animal Welfare, Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics at the University of Queensland. Professor Phillips stated, 'After this masterful expos [the Four Comers' report], access to greyhound training grounds will become practically off-limits to visitors. Access was probably legally off-limits already - training facilities are privately owned and the Four Corners program did not detail exactly how the cameras were installed by Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Queensland to capture the damning secret footage. Fences will be erected and the industry will attempt to protect itself against people that it will dub as extremists.'
It response to fears of increased secrecy within the industry, critics of its current practices have argued that it can no longer be self-regulating. They argue that there are only two acceptable options from this point - either greyhound racing is banned throughout Australia or a well-funded and properly manned system of external regulation must be put in place.
It has been noted that one of the additional limitations of the system currently operating is that the different self-regulatory bodies have such a small staff that it is virtually impossible for inspectors to perform their duties adequately. The head of Greyhound Racing South Australia (GRSA), Matt Corby, has noted that GRSA has only 1.5 staff members to inspect the state's 300 trainers, and it probably needed to double its investment in integrity processes.
Mr Corby further stated that there were limits to the investigative powers of the industry. GRSA has approached the RSPCA and the Government about bringing external investigative bodies into the regulatory regime.
It would appear that the only hope the greyhound racing industry has of avoiding a complete banning of the sport is if effective, external regulation of its practices is implemented. The industry relies on state government funding if it is to continue to operate. It is hard to imagine any government being willing to continue to sponsor an industry which has been associated with the sort of cruelty and animal abuse proven against the greyhound racing industry.