Independent Member for Clark, Andrew Wilkie, has called for a complete ban on greyhound racing. Please see above video for full speech to the Federal Parliament.
“It’s no secret that the greyhound racing industry results in animals suffering unbearable cruelty, which is why I’ve long campaigned to ban greyhound racing within Australia,” Mr Wilkie said. “My office is constantly contacted by members of the community who share my disgust with this industry and its abhorrent treatment of dogs throughout the country. The recent footage of a Tasmanian trainer’s property, showing inadequate shelter for dogs and dead animal carcasses, is especially distressing. But sadly it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, or after.
“According to the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, this year in Australia there have been 73 recorded track deaths and 6,592 track injuries. In Tasmania alone, there have been five reported greyhound deaths and 187 injuries.
“The fact that Australia is only one of seven countries where greyhound racing is still legal is a telling figure, as is the fact that even among the six other countries allowing racing the popularity of greyhound racing is diminishing.
“Indeed Australia has the largest commercial greyhound racing industry in the world, with approximately 64 tracks as of 2022, compared to 22 tracks in the United Kingdom,17 in Ireland,and less than 10 tracks between New Zealand, the United States, Mexico and Vietnam. In fact, in the US greyhound racing is now illegal in at least 42 states, with only two active greyhound racetracks remaining. “I stand by my long held belief that the only way to actually ensure the safety of greyhounds is to ban greyhound racing entirely. Frankly, there is simply no conceivable way to breed, train and race in a way that reliably meets animal welfare standards.”