2017-11-02
The Canberra greyhound racing industry’s record of dog deaths and injuries at the track is proof positive that the industry is unable to operate in the ACT without these kinds of unacceptable animal welfare outcomes, said ACT Greens Spokesperson for Gaming and Racing Shane Rattenbury.
“The record of dog deaths and injuries underlines the need for this legislation, which puts an end date to the greyhound racing industry,” Mr Rattenbury said.
“We were pleased that the Labor-Greens Parliamentary Agreement item required the government to ‘actively support the transition steps required to end the operation of the greyhound racing industry’, and much of the ACT community will be pleased to see this bill introduced today.
“The ACT greyhound industry’s ongoing claims of ‘an unblemished animal welfare and integrity record’ are inconsistent with the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club’s own data on incidents at the track, as the Durkin report clearly identifies. This data reveals that there were 26 incidents when dogs were euthanised trackside and 302 injuries over a five-year period.
“There is also publicly available evidence of positive tests for use of banned substances, and trainers linked to live baiting who have raced dogs in Canberra.
“Dog deaths and injuries are inescapable realities of greyhound racing and that is why the Greens welcome the introduction of legislation today to bring about an end to the industry in the ACT,” concluded Mr Rattenbury.