Why NSW Labor will not take the same road on greyhounds as Baird

Amid rising anger at the Coalition government’s snap decision in 2016 to ban greyhound racing, a trusted cabinet colleague urged then-premier Mike Baird to stay firm, insisting no one would ever turn on him for showing kindness to dogs.

Baird’s resolve to shut down greyhound racing came after former High Court judge Michael McHugh’s review into the brutality of the industry, sparked by an earlier ABC Four Corners exposé.

Then-premier Mike Baird in July 2016 when he declared the greyhound racing industry should be banned.Credit: Peter Rae

Eight years on, brutality has again been exposed, this time through an explosive report by a Greyhound Racing NSW former chief vet, with allegations that re-homing rates were inflated, dogs were suffering a massive rise in injuries and most were then left to “live out their miserable post-racing lives in industrial kennels”.

But Baird’s Labor successor Chris Minns will not follow the Coalition’s lead. Minns knows to shut down such an industry would bring electoral death for Labor in the regions, where it already has minimal political sway. More crucially, the centrist Minns would see Baird’s actions as moral crusading with no political benefit.

Baird described McHugh’s review as “chilling, confronting, horrific”, saying on July 7, 2016 that the former judge “shone the light on an industry that has overseen the slaughter of tens of thousands of healthy dogs whose only crime was they weren’t fast enough.”

He declared the only “humane response was to close that industry down”.

Initially, it seemed that Baird’s colleague was right. The revelations that greyhound trainers were secretly blooding their dogs with live bait was shocking. No one criticised Baird for wanting to end animal cruelty.

However, what Baird did not fully appreciate was the anger that would grow in the regions, home to the majority of greyhound tracks. The policy, seen as imposed on the regions by the city slickers, was poison in the bush and Labor was on the sidelines watching it go badly for their opponents.

The Nationals were divided over the ban and while it did not threaten to split the Coalition, three of the party’s MPs crossed the floor when the legislation came before the lower house.

Eventually, after months of intense pressure, Baird backtracked and said he got it wrong.

Racing Minister David Harris and Premier Chris Minns answer questions about the greyhound racing industry on Wednesday.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Minns cannot ignore the latest revelations. There will need to be a significant shake-up of Greyhound Racing NSW and former Labor leader Luke Foley is being courted by the industry to take on a leadership role.

Foley is respected in the industry and was a vocal opponent of Baird’s plan when he was opposition leader. Foley spoke for more than two hours against the industry shutdown in parliament in 2016.

In the end, Baird’s cabinet colleague was correct. No one judged him for wanting to show compassion for dogs. Minns will need to do the same, but without alienating significant chunks of the state.

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