2016/10: Should the New South Wales government have banned greyhound racing?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:On July 7, 2016, News Beat Social ran a news report detailing the decision of the New South Wales government to ban greyhound racing. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'We're an industry that has changed, is changing and is ready to embrace whatever change is needed to have a respectable role in the future'
Brenton Scott of the New South Wales Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association
'There is no commitment to animal welfare that I witnessed... I expected to see changes in the time I was with Greyhound Racing NSW. I didn't see any changes'
Dr Greg Bryant, a former Greyhound Racing NSW on-track vet
The issue at a glance
On July 7, 2016, the New South Wales premier, Mike Baird, announced that greyhound racing would be banned in the state from July 1, 2017.
Baird attributed the ban to the 'widespread and systemic mistreatment of animals', which he claimed the state cannot tolerate.
The ban has been foreshadowed after a special commission of inquiry found substantial and apparently compelling evidence of animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and live baiting.
The commission of inquiry was established in response to an ABC Four Corners program which exposed widespread and extreme animal cruelty and cheating through the use of live baiting to entice and train greyhounds.
In a statement Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) said the industry was 'devastated' by the government's decision and responded to the ban by emphasising the improvements it has made to regulate greyhound racing since the live-baiting scandal came to light.
After the announcement of the intended ban, GRNSW suspended greyhound racing in the state for seven days.