Politicians & Welfare Groups Unite To Protest Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park

A broad coalition of MPs, councillors, and animal welfare organisations will gather at Wentworth Park this evening for a peaceful protest against the greyhound racing event, Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase.

The demonstration, dubbed the “Million Dollar Disgrace”, is set to bring together representatives from the City of Sydney, the Animal Justice Party, the Greens, independent MPs Alex Greenwich and Jacqui Scruby, and Bondi Vet’s Kate Adams.

Dozens of animal protection groups, including Animal Liberation, Companion Animal Network Australia, and the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, will also join the rally to demand an end to greyhound racing and the return of Wentworth Park to the community.

The protest will go forward at 5pm at Millard Reserve on Wentworth Park Road.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said greyhound racing “is cruel, barbaric, outdated and unsustainable — it has no place in modern society.” She urged the Minns Government to ban the sport and return Wentworth Park to the people. “This practice is not sport. It is a gambling business that has admitted to killing 17,000 healthy dogs each year and causes untold damage to people with gambling addictions,” she said.

The protest comes amid alarming figures from the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC), which reported 60 greyhound deaths on NSW tracks in the 2024–25 financial year — a 58 per cent increase on the previous year. Across the state, 1,153 greyhound deaths were recorded, equating to one every 7.6 hours.

Animal Justice Party MLC Emma Hurst described the Million Dollar Chase as “a dark day for NSW,” saying it represents “a cruel spectacle that combines animal suffering with gambling harm.” She added: “Hundreds of dogs are dying in greyhound racing in NSW, and more dogs will be killed as long as this industry continues to exist. Greyhound racing cannot occur without animal cruelty — and it must be shut down.”

Greens MLC Abigail Boyd said the race epitomises the problems at the heart of the gambling industry. “Touted as the world’s richest dog race and propped up by the NSW government, the Million Dollar Chase epitomises everything that’s wrong with the gambling-fuelled greyhound racing industry,” she said. “The NSW greyhound racing industry has proven time and again to be incapable of reform … the government must finally listen.”

Trish Ennis, CEO of Companion Animal Network Australia, said the event “is a celebration of gambling and greed at the expense of animal welfare. Greyhounds are gentle, social animals who deserve lives filled with care, not exploitation.”

Protesters will also call on the NSW Government to release the Drake Report into greyhound racing, which was delivered to the Minister for Gaming and Racing this year but has not yet been made public.

“The Drake Inquiry should be sufficient evidence to shut down greyhound racing in NSW,” said Animal Liberation’s Lisa Ryan. “No moving of the deckchairs with new director appointments is going to change the failed model of this gambling-fuelled dog killing industry.”

The ongoing contention of Wentworth Park

Wentworth Park has long been a flashpoint in the state’s debate over greyhound racing. The track sits on public land owned by the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust, but leased to Greyhound Racing NSW.

Community opposition to racing at the site has grown in recent years, with residents and local leaders calling for the land to be converted into public parkland and community recreation space.

“Our community wants to see Wentworth Park returned for much-needed parkland. They’ve made it overwhelmingly clear that they do not support the continued use of this site for cruel greyhound racing,” said Balmain MP Kobi Shetty. “Now it’s time for Minns to follow through, so that this cruel Million Dollar Chase will be the last one we see here.”

Lord Mayor Clover Moore reiterated these calls, saying, “At a time when Sydney desperately needs more housing and open space to support residents living in high densities, the NSW Government should ban greyhound racing and return this important parkland at Wentworth Park to the community.”

Regular protests have been held outside the venue, particularly since the state government reversed its brief 2016 ban on greyhound racing following revelations of live baiting, dog doping, and mass culling of unwanted dogs.