Greater accountability for greyhound lives

Wednesday the 16th of October 2024
Victorian Legislative Council

On the 16th of October, Rachel Payne MP contributed to a motion moved by Georgie Purcell of the Animal Justice Party Victoria. This motion called for greater reporting transparency and accountability by Victoria’s self-regulated greyhound racing industry, which continues to profit off the lives of its involuntary animal participants. The motion was successfully passed in the Legislative Council.

RACHEL PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan): I rise to speak on this motion on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. In my office there is a member of my team who goes by the name Sparky, short for Sparkle Star Cupcake. Sparky is a bit different from the rest of them, and it is not just his fabulous name; Sparky is a rescue sighthound. He is the sweetest little guy. He is always watching us work and never leaves our sides unless we throw a tennis ball down the hallway. Despite a rough start in life, Sparky is now lucky to have a really wonderful life with people who love him dearly, but unfortunately many of his sighthound siblings are not so lucky. They continue to be exploited, hurt, traumatised and killed by the greyhound industry in Victoria.

We know that Victoria leads the nation in on-track greyhound deaths. This year the death toll is at 38 so far, and at least 2551 have been injured. But we do not have a full picture of the real extent of the industry’s damage because of the way that the data is reported. That is why this motion is so important. This motion proposes changes to the Greyhound Racing Victoria annual report which will provide greater transparency on the state of the industry and how we can make change for the better.

Dogs that do not die on the track or are not immediately euthanised are not included in the fatality data. That means that a greyhound who is injured on the track but only succumbs to those injuries days later is not counted as a fatality. The way data is collected currently underestimates the harms of the greyhound racing industry. We owe it to these dogs to change this. The 10-day window following a race, training or trial proposed in this motion will ensure we understand the true number of dogs killed off track and why. When living, breathing animals are treated as a quick cash grab, we must be equipped to deal with the reality of trainers putting dogs down when they are no longer profitable.

This motion also proposes positive changes that would expand the data relating to the use of prohibited substances and rehoming. Given the recent uptick in prohibited substance use, this data is essential to appropriately respond to this issue.

This industry is unsustainable and cruel, and that is why the additional data will help us review this information. The current rate of greyhound breeding in Australia is six times the industry rehoming organisation’s capacity. The suite of improvements to data reporting in this motion is critical to ensuring the highest level of oversight for this industry. In a modern world where there are so many alternatives, it is heartbreaking to see the continued use of animals in the gambling industry.

Then there is the absolute hypocrisy that is a government standing in this place and championing how they are preventing and responding to gambling harms, all while they continue to prop up the greyhound racing industry. Thanks to the great work of Ms Purcell and the Parliamentary Budget Office we know that over four years this government will dedicate $90 million to propping up the greyhound racing industry. I hope they will support this motion so that we can understand just how prevalent these harms are and maybe review the fact that we are investing taxpayers money into a greyhound racing industry.

It is my hope that every greyhound in this state will find a home, like our little friend Sparky, where they race down the hallways chasing balls for fun and not for profit. The more greyhounds that go on to live lazy lives in retirement the better. Legalise Cannabis Victoria supports this motion and congratulates Ms Purcell on her tireless advocacy for our greyhound friends.

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