Mike Baird stares down rebellion as controversial bill to ban greyhound racing in NSW is passed
After Premier Mike Baird saw through a NSW ban on greyhound racing last night, a Nationals MP warned that the legislation would be used as a precedent to abolish other industries. POST YOUR COMMENT
NSW
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PREMIER Mike Baird stared down a humiliating revolt as his controversial Bill to ban greyhound racing in NSW was passed in the state parliament by 48 votes to 35.
Mr Baird faced the biggest rebellion in 5½ years of Coalition government, with three Nationals MPs crossing the floor and two MPs vowing to abstain in the vote on his greyhound industry ban legislation.
Debate continued through the night as Labor MPs voiced their opposition to the government’s plan to shut down the industry by next July.
But Premier Mike Baird released a statement early this morning confirming the Bill had passed.
“I am pleased the parliament has strongly supported the government’s decision, because it is the right one, even though it has been a difficult one,” Mr Baird said.
Mr Baird said “the systemic cruelty” of the industry was “beyond belief” as he sought to defend his decision to shut it down.
Those involved in the greyhound industry said it will take time for the repercussions to sink in.
“I can’t believe a business as big as it is can be just shut off,” greyhound breeder and trainer Ashley Lamb told ABC radio.
Gunnedah Greyhound Racing Club president Geoff Rose said compensation packages should be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
He criticised the state government for not presenting a compensation package before passing the bill.
“We were never given a chance to defend ourselves, they made a judgement on a report that is flawed,” he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
RSPCA NSW hailed the bill as “truly a historic turning point for animal welfare,” CEO Steve Coleman said in a statement.
Last night Nationals MP Katrina Hodgkinson told Parliament she opposed the Bill, which had the government voting with the Greens “against our people”.
She said the Nationals played a political role to be the “counterbalance” to “excessive Greens politics” and claimed the greyhound ban will set a precedent that could lead to the shutdown of other industries.
“This legislation will undoubtedly be used as a precedent to abolish other existing industries.
“It may be harness racing or the thoroughbred industry next on the hit list. Perhaps it will be dairy farming or pig farming or egg production or dog breeding.”
Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis told Parliament he would cross the floor because of the “profound” impact on the greyhound industry in his electorate. “I can’t support a bill that shreds the fabric that makes up the regional community I am a part of,” he said.
Barwon MP Kevin Humphries crossed the floor at 6.45pm to vote with Labor for an early amendment proposing a three-month stay on the ban. The motion was lost 48-32. Mr Humphries later said the government does not have a mandate for the ban and it was a decision “made in haste”.
Riverstone Liberal MP Kevin Conolly said he was abstaining: “I cannot stand by and see all of these people tarred with the same brush because some in the industry have done the wrong thing.”
Coffs Harbour Nationals MP Andrew Fraser confirmed he would abstain, saying the government does not have a “licence” to shut the dogs industry down.
Mr Baird yesterday pleaded with his MPs in the Coalition party room to show “unity”, saying previous Labor governments had collapsed without it.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley opened the debate, and spoke for more than two hours, saying the ban was criminalising “an Australian way of life”.
“If you punish all the members of a group for the actions of a small minority of that group, you’d outlaw the Salvation Army, the Catholic Church, the Scouts movement … you’d outlaw the Labor Party and the Liberal Party,” Mr Foley said.
Mr Baird defended the inquiry and said the industry was not capable of reform. “It concluded there was a culture of cover-up that gave no comfort to those who hoped it could be reformed.”
Mr Baird said the greyhound industry was in decline around the world but acknowledged the NSW ban could “disproportionately damage our regional communities” but that this would be “remedied” through an aid package.
The greyhound racing prohibition Bill, which allows for penalties up to a year’s jail for those who conduct greyhound races in NSW after July 1, 2017, passed the upper house 19-12 this month.
MAGIC MIKE LOSING HIS TEFLON GLOSS
Analysis by Andrew Clennell
MIKE Baird burnt a stack of political capital last night over some dead dogs and rabbits.
Ironically, just as his Coalition government faced its biggest divide in 5½ years in office, with three MPs expected to cross the floor and one expected to abstain, the Premier was pleading for “unity” in the Coalition party room.
A couple of MPs had apparently been talked off the cliff — the prospect of future promotion can do that to you. John Howard’s old mantra “disunity is death” must have been ringing in the Premier’s ears as he asked his colleagues to “stick together” but the disunity was on full display last night.
And Labor was trying to drag the pain out, with Opposition Leader Luke Foley opening proceedings with a two-hour, 10-minute speech.
Baird was at his stubborn best in Question Time but the truth is he brought on the most divisive debate in a NSW political party since Morris Iemma moved to sell the electricity generators in 2008.
That decision led to Iemma resigning. He did not even put his bill to Parliament because he knew the appearance of being defeated by Labor MPs would be too damaging.
Alongside Baird in the trenches is loyal deputy Troy Grant, who must be hurting over the sacrifice he has made on an issue the government did not really have to act on.
It is he who stands to suffer the most from the greyhound ban from country voters, including in his own electorate. Before last night, only one Coalition MP had crossed the floor in the O’Farrell-Baird governments — Peter Phelps over ethanol.
To have more than one MP cross is a terrible look for a Premier who cannot avoid the argument that he could have handled the whole ban a lot better than chucking it on Facebook and saying as this paper has headlined it over the past few weeks: “I’m right and you’re wrong.”
People in government now joke that Mike Baird will not be banning anything else, ever. This issue has just taken too much paint off the Premier. He is Teflon Mike and Magic Mike no more.
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