Greyhound racing ban: industry forms crack legal, political and media team to overturn NSW ban
GREYHOUND owners have formed a high-powered team including a former Solicitor General to launch a legal, political and media offensive to overturn the State Government’s industry ban.
Southwest
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- NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley vows to fight racing ban during Potts Park Greyhound Racing Club visit
- Trainers at Sydney’s only social greyhound racing club ‘gutted’ by NSW ban
GREYHOUND owners have formed a high-powered team including a former Solicitor General to launch a legal, political and media offensive to overturn the State Government’s industry ban.
Members of the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association held an emergency meeting at Yagoona today, warning that clubs alone faced the loss of 1,000 jobs.
Association boss Brenton Scott said a new steering committee — made up of two GBOTA, two club and one independent representatives — had been formed and would employ a team of lawyers, public relations firm and political strategy team. The association coordinates race meetings and represents 1200 members.
Former solicitor-general of Australia David Bennett QC will spearhead an expensive legal battle to save the industry. Mr Bennett is one of the most respected barristers in Australia and represented the Howard Government before the High Court in Mohammed Haneef terrorism case, the Tampa refugee stand-off and the constitutional challenge to WorkChoices.
Meanwhile political strategy firm Barton Deakin have been employed to lobby politicians.
The “government relations” company is headed by Matt Hingerty, a former chief of staff to Joe Hockey during the Howard Government and was also chief of staff to former NSW National Party leader George Souris the first 15 months of the O’Farrell Government.
It is not yet known which PR firm has been enlisted.
NSW Premier Mike Baird announced plans to close down greyhound racing entirely from July next year.
It follows a damning Special Commission of Inquiry found that between 48,000 and 68,000 greyhounds bred to race were killed in the past 12 years because they were deemed “uncompetitive” and “up to 20 per cent” of trainers engage in live baiting.
Addressing a subdued group of trainers and officials at Arena Sports Club in Yagoona, Mr Scott said the industry was “ambushed” by the ban’s announcement but had now rallied.
“Instead of placing the report, in particular recommendation one (a ban), before Parliament and allowing for that round discussion, the government placed the recommendations before cabinet and spent three weeks determining the position it would take, ultimately to ban the sport and ban an entire industry.”
After the meeting, Richmond Race Club general manager Brad Adam told The Express the legal team had “hit the ground running” and was considering a case.
He said the next step would be to put a political strategy in place and finalise a media plan.
Potts Park Greyhound Racing Club, incorporated into Arena Sports in Yagoona, is a non-TAB approved track used predominantly for social racing.
Arena Sports chief executive Michael Ekert said the club was bracing for an immediate 20 job losses next year.
“We will lose vets, our head steward, judges, race callers, (ticket keepers), two book makers,” he said.
He predicted about 1000 job losses across all of the state’s racing clubs alone.
The greyhound racing industry in NSW is worth more than $330 million.
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