Calls mount for Tasmanian government to end greyhound racing support after damning report released

The Tasmanian government is being urged to end funding support for the greyhound racing industry in the wake of a damning report released by a leading economist.

Kristie Johnston with her greyhound Freddie. Independent member for Clark Kristie Johnston who has been a vocal campaigner against the greyhound industry previous to the greyhound report being handed down. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Calls are intensifying for the state government to end its funding support for greyhound racing after a damning report found that the industry makes a “quite small” contribution to the local economy even as the subsidies it receives continue to skyrocket

The report, produced by independent economist Saul Eslake for a coalition of 12 animal welfare advocacy organisations, said the greyhound racing industry had been in receipt of $74.6m in government funding over the past 15 years, with state support increasing at a higher rate per annum (5.6 per cent) than education funding (4.1 per cent).

Mr Eslake cast doubt on the industry’s claim that it made a significant contribution to employment and economic activity in the state, saying its impact was “actually quite small”, amounting to 0.2 per cent of gross state product and total employment.

Economist Saul Eslake.

A funding deed between the government and Tasracing was signed in 2009, providing certainty for the three racing codes through guaranteed funding indexed to the consumer price index for a period of 20 years.

With the deed set to expire in 2029, Mr Eslake said the cash-strapped Rockliff government could “reduce the extent to which it has been ‘throwing good money after bad’ by subsidising an inefficient and declining ‘industry’ to such a substantial degree over the past two decades”.

“This would seem to represent a perfect opportunity for the government to save some money that it could put towards improving Tasmania’s financial position,” he said on Thursday.

“My view would be that [the government] should cease funding [the industry] altogether. That’s purely on economic grounds that the government is putting substantial amounts of money, by Tasmanian standards, for diminishing returns, measured by the industry’s own benchmarks.”

Independent Clark MP Kristie Johnston implored the government to scrap the funding deed come 2029 and effectively end its support for the greyhound racing industry.

Independent member for Clark Kristie Johnston. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“[The government has] been deaf when it comes to listening to the concerns of the community around the social license of greyhound racing. Now they must listen to the economic reasoning,” she said.

Hobart Greens MLC Cassy O’Connor said both the major parties should “just bite the bullet” and commit to cutting funding to greyhound racing.

Labor finance spokesman Luke Edmunds reiterated the Opposition’s support for the racing industry and said while he hadn’t yet read Mr Eslake’s report, Labor “takes any feedback we get on-board”.

Luke Edmunds, Labor finance spokesman. Picture: Elise Kaine

A Tasracing spokesman said recently published independent research had shown that the state’s greyhound racing industry “translates into a $54m economic benefit for the state” and that this contribution was “growing”.

“As to the popularity of racing, wagering turnover across the three codes of racing, including greyhounds, has increased by 19 per cent over the past five years. Greyhound wagering is up by six per cent year to date in 24/25 compared to last year,” the spokesman said.

He said that in addition to the deed, the state’s racing industry was also funded through supplementary support from Tasracing and revenue generated by the industry’s own “strategic commercial decisions”.

Government minister Kerry Vincent said he had learned “a bit” from Mr Eslake’s report.

“It’s not a huge industry by any measure, but it is a solid industry with a lot of good people in there, and we are supporting it,” he said.

Originally published as Calls mount for Tasmanian government to end greyhound racing support after damning report released