Greyhound ban: Nationals MPs urge Mike Baird to allow the industry three years to reform

With Premier Mike Baird expected to confirm the schedule for a ban today, National MPs are making a last-ditch attempt to change his mind.

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NATIONAL MPs have made a last-ditch attempt to convince Premier Mike Baird to give the greyhound industry three years to reform — or die trying.

The Baird government is expected to confirm the timing of its greyhound ban legislation this morning, with a spokesman for the Premier saying it remained its intention to table the new laws in Parliament this week.

Under the plan, the entire $350 million industry would be wiped out by July 2017.

Greyhound racing will be banned in NSW in 2017. Picture: Jenny Evans

National MPs discussed the ban during a party room meeting last night, with a small number continuing to air serious concerns about how the ban would destroy rural jobs, shut down businesses and lead to the killing of thousands of dogs that can no longer race.

Barwon MP Kevin Humphries and other Nationals urged the government to delay the enactment of the ban to allow the industry a chance to implement 79 recommendations made by former High Court judge Michael McHugh to keep dog racing alive.

Mr McHugh’s report, sparked by last year’s live-baiting scandal, claimed thousands of dogs die each year because they don’t make the grade — but recommended a pathway to reform as well as consideration of a ban.

If the industry can’t prove itself capable of ending animal cruelty and cleaning up its act within three years, Mr Humphries accepted the industry should start to close down.

The Daily Telegraph’s front page today.

“I am requesting the ban stay in place but not be enacted for three years, giving the industry, regulators and the government time to properly implement recommendations in line with community expectations,” Mr Humphries told The Daily Telegraph.

“If they can’t (implement the recommendations) then the industry transitions to a close.”

Another National MP agreed with that plan, saying: “The industry isn’t rotten. It deserves time to prove that, rather than just being guillotined.”

Mr Humphries, Cootamundra MP Katrina Hodgkinson and Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis have all spoken out against the greyhound ban. They have also stopped short of saying they will vote against the government’s legislation.

Coffs Harbour MP Andrew Fraser has not committed to supporting the ban and, at the federal level, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has also spoken out against a ban.

Premier Mike Baird is so far standing by the ban. Picture: Adam Taylor

Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers’ Association boss Brenton Scott said Nationals MPs must listen to their voter — who want the ban defeated: “We hope, and expect, they will listen to their communities and make a decision based on what is best for their local areas.

“It is not justice to shut down an entire industry based on the behaviour of a few, especially when there is an alternative that means the industry continues with world-class animal welfare standards in place and 15,000 people don’t have their lives destroyed.”

Cartoonist Warren Brown’s view.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley last night said: “Are the Nationals going to stick up for their communities, cross the floor and vote against the government, or are they just going to fizz out? I am calling on National Party members just this once to work with Labor to save this industry.”

Defeating the ban would require about 13 out of the 17 lower house Nationals MPs to vote with Labor against the ban — an unlikely scenario.

Lower house independent Greg Piper said last night he was “slightly in favour of the ban but will not make a final decision until he actually sees the government’s proposed legislation”.

The other crossbencher, Alex Greenwich, supported the ban. Mr Greenwich cited “animal cruelty and problem gambling” as the key reasons.

A greyhound van protest in Hyde Park. Picture: Twitter

It comes as the greyhound racing industry launches its legal challenge against the ban in the Supreme Court this morning. The case, brought by the Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association against the government, is listed for mention before Justice Christine Adamson in the Supreme Court at 10am.

The challenge hinges on Mr McHugh’s suggestion the greyhound industry no longer has a “social licence” to operate, with lawyers for the GBOTA saying the phrase has no legal basis.

Meanwhile, the government has been forced into an U-turn on a radio advert about the ban. The government was running commercials in which it claimed racing greyhounds live for an average of just 18 months. The adverts did not acknowledge who had authorised them.

The government’s name has now been added to the commercials.

BAIRD DENIES HE’S ON A ‘CRUSADE’

PREMIER Mike Baird has denied claims his decision to ban greyhound racing is part of a “moral crusade” — insisting the move is simply part of a global trend.

Some Liberal insiders have claimed Mr Baird’s Christian beliefs have played a role in his decision to shut down dog racing.

The Premier’s spokesman did not dispute the greyhound ban was a sole decision by Mr Baird but insisted it was based “exclusively” on the basis of the graphic report by former High Court judge Michael McHugh following a special commission into live baiting.

“(The report) presented conclusive evidence of systemic animal cruelty, much of it drawn directly from industry testimony tendered to the commission,” Mr Baird’s spokesman said.

Mr Baird’s office said greyhound racing was being “progressively shut down around the world (most recently in Arizona) and is now allowed in only eight countries”.

“Far from being anybody’s crusade in NSW, it is a global trend that looks likely to continue,” he said.