Greyhound ban: Nationals in revolt as ministers ramp up pressure on Baird

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Nationals ministers are working to have Mike Baird’s greyhound racing ban reversed, with senior party figures even talking about the possibility of voting with Labor.

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TWO senior Nationals ministers are working to have Premier Mike Baird’s greyhound racing ban reversed, with senior party figures even talking about the possibility of voting with Labor to overturn it.

Skills Minister John Barilaro and Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair are understood to have made it clear to Deputy Premier Troy Grant they believe the racing ban should be reversed.

Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair.

NSW Small Business Minister John Barilaro.

The proposed $1500-a-dog compensation package is not considered enough to placate senior Nationals opposing the ban, nor is the possibility of pushing the ban back from 2017 to 2020.

Mr Baird now faces the possibility of a split government. The tipping point is likely to come in mid-October when Mr Grant is expected to bring the Keniry report on compensation for the industry to the Nationals party room.

Nationals sources said Mr Grant has said at that point everything will be on the table, including a reversal.

Deputy Premier and Nationals leader Troy Grant is remaining steadfast on the greyhound ban.

NSW Premiere Mike Baird was yesterday touring flood-ravaged Forbes but back home faces sustained opposition to the greyhounds ban. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Mr Grant’s office yesterday denied there were discussions about a reversal, while Mr Barilaro declined to comment. Mr Blair said yesterday: “The cabinet’s made its decision and we’re waiting for the information back from the taskforce.”

National Party sources said yesterday Liberals were looking for a trigger if they had to reverse, which would be a loss at the November 12 Orange by-election. Many Nationals, however, do not see why they should have to wear a loss before dealing with the issue.

“If Mike doesn’t want to do it (reverse), who says you can’t bring back legislation and we support Labor,” one senior Nationals MP said.

“Everyone’s got the shits. They want a reversal. Anything less is starting to become a problem for Troy and everybody.”

Nationals MPs are concerned they could suffer as big as an 18 per cent swing in Orange — still short of the 21.6 per cent needed to lose it — and Mr Baird will still refuse to change his policy. Meanwhile, John Keniry — the man in charge of the transition taskforce advising government on compensation packages — yesterday refused to say if he supported the racing ban.

The proposed $1500-a-dog compensation package is not considered enough to placate senior Nationals opposing the ban.

“I’m not buying into my personal views on this at all,” Dr Keniry said.

“We have got a job to do which is to put a transition plan together on the assumption that racing stops 30/6.”

Asked if a compromise should occur where greyhound racing finished in 2020 rather than 2017, Dr Keniry said: “That’s what people within the industry have been advocating; that is a matter for the industry with the government.”

Asked if the $30 million the government was pledging was enough, he said: “No comment ... the answer’s no.”

Dr Keniry said he expected to report to the government in the middle of next month.

Mr Grant criticised some of his Nationals colleagues in a letter to senior party members last week, saying the greyhound racing industry had been “receiving ‘second’ chances for more than 60 years”.

“I’m strongly of the belief that yet another second chance would not change anything,” he wrote.

“As difficult as this decision has been, the greatest disappointment I have felt has been the party disunity that has occurred and the consequences of that ­disunity.

“As the leader of the NSW Nationals at all times during the debate, I have shown nothing but absolutely loyalty to my fellow Nationals.”