.svg)
Regulatory upheaval in Australia is continuing after accusations by the New South Wales (NSW) greyhound racing regulator's chief veterinarian of wide-ranging industry animal cruelty forced out the CEO and triggered an inquiry.
Regulatory scandals have tormented and spread across the Australian gambling industry in recent years following media exposure of criminal activity at Crown Resorts' casinos in 2019, but racing codes have largely been spared serious damage and scrutiny. Until this week.
NSW gaming and racing minister David Harris on Thursday (July 11) announced the appointment of Lea Drake as acting commissioner of the NSW Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) to probe the regulator, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW).
Drake’s appointment follows the resignation on Tuesday of the regulator’s CEO, Rob Macauley, within hours of a Sydney Morning Herald report quoting an angry exit letter by former chief veterinarian Alex Brittan.
The letter, sent some six months after Brittan ended his term with GRNSW at the end of 2023, called the greyhound industry a “morass of exploitation and suffering” and contained 24 “serious allegations” that the GRIW declared worthy of investigation.
He alleged excessive and cruel racing workloads on dogs, falsified rehoming rates, a substantial increase in injuries and euthanasia being carried out instead of medical care by substandard vets.
Now tabled in the NSW parliament, the letter alleged that dog health is being neglected both during racing activity and after retirement, rehoming programs to the US were mishandled, and that dog carcasses had been stored in veterinarian surgeries without documentation after being frozen or cremated on site.
The letter reported “deep claw marks gouged all over the inside of metal cages, and recent pools of blood from toenails that had been ripped off from clawing at the cage door.
“Put simply, there needs to be an arse kicking.
“The level of animal distress is appalling and can neither be condoned nor excused. That an industry that generates A$3.8bn [$2.6bn] spend per annum can have cages and facilities that are so rotten and rusted is utterly appalling.”
The Herald reported that the racing minister was alerted to the letter four days after it arrived at the regulator, leading him to alert “integrity and enforcement bodies”.
Acting commissioner Drake has an extensive background in investigation, including membership of sports misconduct tribunals, the Fair Work Commission and a law enforcement conduct commission.
The terms of reference of the inquiry covers all care and welfare issues for greyhounds, including rehoming, adoption and dog storage conditions, track safety, regulatory procedures and practices, the reliability of regulatory reporting on welfare and other issues, and numerous other items. The acting commissioner will report to the minister by December 13.
Harris on Thursday said he has taken additional steps in response to the state’s latest greyhound scandal, including referrals to “relevant authorities” such as the Independent Commission Against Corruption, amendment of the Greyhound Racing Act 2017 to more easily remove the GRNSW board, an additional review into a controversial greyhound homing facility north of Sydney, and show-cause notifications for the removal of the current GRNSW board.
“I am absolutely committed to ensuring a competitive, responsible and sustainable greyhound racing industry, with the highest standards of animal welfare and integrity,” Harris said.
“It is important that the governing bodies and senior leadership of the racing codes meet these standards.
“I take these various concerns about GRNSW very seriously and this inquiry, using the full investigative powers of GWIC, will conduct a thorough and wide-ranging review of all relevant issues.”
Still, NSW Premier Chris Minns said on Wednesday that the greyhound industry was not under threat of being shut down, drawing scorn from animal rights members of parliament and others for pre-empting the findings of the inquiry.
Greyhound racing in NSW came perilously close to a permanent shutdown in 2016 after the state parliament responded to a review triggered by overwhelming, graphic video evidence of industry cruelty to dogs, comfortably passing legislation banning the code.
However, then Premier Mike Baird reversed the decision following intense pressure from the industry, regional communities and Rupert Murdoch-controlled media outlets, which enjoy considerable gambling advertising revenue.
Baird instituted changes to regulatory operations and agreed to give the industry "one last chance", warning that a return to the “status quo” of animal cruelty and exploitation would see the legislation reimposed.
