Greyhound ban: The decision that’s slowly killing the Baird government

WHAT has happened since the greyhound ban has  been  the  most  extraordinary drop in the fortunes of a government Andrew Clennell has ever witnessed.

• BAIRD BRIEF: DOG OWNERS LARGELY ILLITERATE

IT’S the tale of how one decision stuffed a government. When Mike Baird presented his fait accompli of banning the greyhound racing industry to cabinet a week after the federal election, three ministers warned of the dangers ahead.

They were Sports Minister Stuart Ayres (the member for Penrith), Nationals Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair and Minister for Mental Health Pru Goward.

The Daily Telegraph has previously revealed Goward’s comment: “This (shutting down industries) is not us. Fundamentally this is not what we do.”

Ayres’ warnings apparently were equally blunt.

He warned about how the decision would play out and how bad it could be for the government.

He was right.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley told me on the weekend the greyhound shutdown was a consistent issue coming up for him in Penrith as he campaigned in the local government elections.

But Baird ignored these warnings.

There was no deferral to weigh it up, no thought of a broader thrashing out of the issue and no releasing the McHugh report for public consumption to test the water before making such a big decision, which I understand was the original recommendation of communications director Imre Salusinszky before he was overruled.

Instead, the decision was dictatorial.

Almost before the ministers had left the room, the ­decision was on Facebook.

What has happened since has  been  the  most  extraordinary drop in the fortunes of a government I have ever ­witnessed.

Is Mike Baird’s premiership going to be remembered for one issue? Greyhounds? That seems crazy but that is the risk / Picture: Jenny Evans

And it can be tied around one decision. Even if you agree with the move to ban the greyhound industry, I know of very few who agree with the way it was done.

And I know of plenty who think it fed into a broader narrative that Mike Baird wants to preach morals and control what people do.

For the first time Mike Baird’s Christianity — and whether he is in touch with people because of it — has become an issue.

For all Baird’s moralising about the dogs, they will still be racing in Queensland and Victoria. And from 2017 you can still bet on them there and that money will apparently compensate dog ­owners here.

So was it really worth all this political pain?

Then, what did the government decide to do when it realised it had made an ­unpopular decision? Spend our money commissioning an advertising campaign. And not even a particularly good or convincing one.

The call for papers that lobbed this week from the upper house around that campaign was so damaging.

Premier Mike Baird.

For a bureaucrat to label a campaign “propaganda”, well, all I can say is they had a point. And for another to say that an advertising campaign targeting greyhound owners and trainers, as well as the NSW community, should take note of the fact a large number of people targeted would be “illiterate” people?

It just all feeds into that public perception that Baird and his mates are playing us for fools and that the King’s-educated premier who is the son of a politician has no concept of what life is like for the average man and woman. I know one minister is telling people to calm down. That everything can be turned around by the time of the next budget.

After all, look at the government’s record on other things: Building the West Connex. Tick. Building a Metro line for Sydney. Tick. Building hospitals. Tick. Cleaning up politics. Tick.

But the greyhound thing dominates every message. It risks undoing all the good work of the government.

Is Mike Baird’s premiership going to be remembered for one issue? Greyhounds?

That seems crazy but that is the risk.

For all Baird’s moralising about the dogs, they will still be racing in Queensland and Victoria. So was it really worth all this political pain?

The Orange by-election on November 12 shapes as the most important by-election for decades for the fortune of a government.

It would take a 21.6 per cent swing to unseat the ­Nationals in the seat. Troy Grant needs a win like ­nothing else and so does Mike Baird.

If things go too bad poll-wise for the government, people may start talking about getting a candidate such as Andrew Constance up and have him reverse the greyhound ban.

Who would have thought of such a conversation two months ago.

Meanwhile, Baird’s northern beaches Christian mate Mark Scott, the former ABC boss now appointed through Baird as head of the department of education on a ­potential salary of $627,200 this year, has started work.

He tweeted last week: “I am about to go to a three hour teleconference about Commonwealth-state Education policy. Send search parties if I don’t emerge.”

Oh. How tough for him.

Out of touch much?