Greens to campaign for national Greyhound racing ban

BY LUCAS BAIRD

The Greens have drafted plans to ban Greyhound racing Australia wide after the NSW Government’s controversial ban of the industry passed Parliament this week.

The Greens welcomed the “historic” blanket ban on the sport after it passed the NSW Legislative Council on August 23 and said it was “sad” to see the Labor Party attempt to prevent the reforms.

However, Greens animal welfare spokesperson, Senator Lee Rhiannon told City Hub they would now turn their attention to other states as they attempt to shut down the industry nationwide, claiming that it was now a proven fact that abuse is systemic in the industry.

“The world trend is away from Greyhound racing. It has been known for a long time that it is very cruel and what we saw in the 4 Corners report showed a much greater level of cruelty than we have even realised,” Senator Rhiannon told City Hub.

The Greens’ plan to launch the national campaign in Canberra next week and are hoping that they can achieve their objective through grassroots campaigning.

The Senator acknowledged that it would be difficult to secure a nationwide ban, with the Queensland and Victorian governments claiming that they had no plans to outlaw the industry. Nonetheless she said they had to capitalise on the current momentum and make the most of it.

Senator Rhiannon also looked to address the impact that this would have on jobs in Australia, after the NSW Labor Party touted this issue as one of the reasons greyhound racing should remain.

“When an industry is in transition a responsibility of government is to ensure that there is restructuring, retraining and assistance so people do not suffer personal hardship. That has been the Greens’ message all the way through this,” she said.

This is in line with steps the NSW government plans to take. The Deputy Premier, Troy Grant, outlined the government’s restructuring plans in a speech to Parliament on 11 August.

“Businesses affiliated with the greyhound industry will be given access to business advice and assistance through an expanded Small Biz Connect program. Direct financial assistance will be made available to support those who are affected in their transition out of the industry,” The National’s leader said.

He also made clear that the government was working on a specialised mental health service to support those in the industry through the transitional period.