Right: dog rescue and re-homing organisations point to the greyhound as an ideal family pet. Many dogs have been saved from being put down - sometimes inhumanely and in secret - but there are said to be thousands still in need of homes.
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Background information
The Australian Greyhound Racing Association (AGRA) is divided into many state governing bodies, which regulate greyhound welfare and living conditions. Some racing authorities in Australia partly finance some of the Greyhound Adoption Groups, which house dozens of greyhounds a month.
Each Australian state and territory has a governing greyhound racing body. Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) and Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) are the two largest authorities, governing over 40 racetracks. The Queensland Greyhound Racing Authority (QGRA), Western Australian Greyhound Racing Authority (WAGRA), Tasmanian Greyhound Racing Authority (TGRA), Greyhound Racing South Australia (GRSA), Northern Territory Racing Authority, and the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club (CGRC), all contribute to running and monitoring of greyhound racing in Australia.
Many adoption programs have been set up throughout Australia known as Greyhound Adoption Program or Greyhounds as Pets, GAP. They generally work with their Greyhound Racing Administration. Greyhounds are checked for parasites, malnourishment, or any other medical conditions by an on-course vet before being able to compete.
Greyhounds are usually bought and sold as puppies just after having been whelped or as racing dogs that have been fully trained. In Australia the buying and selling of greyhounds is controlled and regulated by the states and territories.
A 2015 ABC television investigation revealed widespread use of small live animals as bait, to train greyhounds to chase and kill. As a result, many in the industry called for a complete overhaul of greyhound racing's controlling bodies in Australia.
New South Wales ban
On 5 May, 2015, a former Justice of the High Court, Michael McHugh, was appointed to head the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in New South Wales.
On 7 July 2016, New South Wales Premier, Mike Baird, announced that greyhound racing was to be banned in the state from 1 July 2017 after the inquiry found overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and live baiting. After the New South Wales announcement, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, stated that greyhound racing would be banned in the ACT.
Australian greyhound racing live baiting scandal
On 16 February, 2015, the ABC television current affairs program Four Corners exposed the use of live piglets, possums and rabbits to train racing greyhounds in three states. The revelation led to suspensions, inquiries and widespread condemnation of the practice.
The greyhound industry and the law provide harsh penalties for the use of live baits in training. Nevertheless, accusations of live baiting in the Australian greyhound industry have arisen from time to time.
On 16 February 2015, Four Corners exposed live baiting on training tracks in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The program included graphic surveillance footage, filmed by pro-animal activists, which showed various small animals being tied to mechanical lures where they were chased, caught and savaged by greyhounds for up to 30 minutes. Some animals had babies taken from them and brutally killed.
The program also included interviews with many leading greyhound trainers and administrators who denied the practice of live baiting; some of them were subsequently shown to be involved in the live baiting.
The program content drew immediate and widespread criticism from animal protection groups and the wider community.