Dogs ban whacks NSW Premier Mike Baird’s popularity

MIKE Baird’s approval rating has plunged. It’s an epic turnaround for a Premier who, at one point, had approval ratings at 60 per cent.

Mike Baird’s approval rating has plunged in the wake of the greyhound racing ban. Picture: Peter Lorimer

NSW Premier Mike Baird has suffered a popularity walloping after his government’s ban on greyhound racing.

The Newspoll, published in The Australian on Thursday of 1487 people, showed Mr Baird’s approval rating had fallen from 61 per cent to 39 per cent and his dissatisfaction rate more than doubled.

Two party preferred support for his government dropped from 56 per cent to 51 per cent, while Labor had a five per cent gain to 49 per cent.

It’s an epic turnaround for a Premier who, at one point, had approval ratings at 60 per cent, double that of Opposition Leader Luke Foley, and was known nationwide for his amusingly bad social media posts about the Bachelor and Taylor Swift.

Last March, Mr Baird’s popularity was so high he was more popular than any leader in the previous three state or Federal elections.

Mike Baird says greyhound racing has had ample opportunity to prove it could act responsibly. Picture: Simon Bullard

The greyhound racing ban came after a special commission of inquiry found overwhelming evidence of animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and the use of live baiting to entice and train greyhounds.

The ban also came after the ABC’s Four Corners program exposed widespread and extreme animal cruelty and cheating.

And although images of cruelty to greyhounds was shocking, to some equally shocking is the loss of thousands of jobs and the death of a traditional pastime without, as they see it, the industry being given time to get its house in order.

Mr Baird rejects this and has said greyhound racing has had ample opportunity to prove it could act responsibly.