2020-10-30
Even though crowds and owners will not be allowed to attend this year, the Victorian Greens have called on the Andrews Labor Government to cancel this year’s Melbourne Cup, calling it unconscionable to host a major gambling event when so many Victorians were out-of-work or struggling to make ends meet.
The Greens said cancelling the Cup would have the dual benefit of saving punters money and protecting horses from unnecessary pain and cruelty.
Acting Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell, said that while the government continued to ignore the reality of animal cruelty in the racing industry, the pandemic should have made clear just how dangerous the Cup would be for punters as well.
Covid has already cost hundreds of thousands of Victorians their jobs and yet the government sees fit to put on a race that encourages those Victorians to throw away much-needed money.
Quotes attributable to Acting Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell MP:
“Every year the Greens call on the state government to end animal cruelty at the hands of our racing industry – and every year the government tries to pretend they have no power to stop it.
“But surely a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic should be enough to warrant closing the gates this year?
“We want to see the Melbourne Cup cancelled this year to protect punters from the dangerous harms of gambling and horses from unnecessary cruelty and pain.”