Article
New Report – Punters Duped, Dogs Mistreated
Media release – Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), 13 December
New racing report – punters duped and dogs mistreated in Tasmania
A new report shows Tasmania’s Government is not penalising wrongdoers who dope racing greyhounds which means the dogs suffer and punters get ripped off.
The report, by the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG), reveals industry body Tasracing routinely allows wrongdoers to continue racing their dogs. This maximises revenue, instead of prioritising the welfare of racing greyhounds by suspending participants who break rules.
Ms Joanne Lee, CPG’s Tasmanian director, issued a warning to punters.
“Anyone who bets on Tasmanian dog races is being taken for a ride. It’s not a level playing field. It’s time to bet on something else. Our report shows two thirds of those presenting greyhounds with banned substances didn’t serve any period of suspension,” she said.
“The lack of punishment is a serious concern because there’s no incentive for trainers to play by the rules which means punters are being duped. Worse still, CPG’s report also shows there are no standard or minimum penalties to guide steward decisions, as there are elsewhere.”
Instead, when stewards write up a report, there are random references to past interstate or past Tasmanian decisions: “This is not good enough and the Office of Racing Integrity urgently needs to lift its game by issuing clear penalty guidelines,” Ms Lee said.
CPG’s report also documents an alarming lack of published data about doping controls in the state’s racing industry. The regulator ORI should release this data as occurs elsewhere.
“There’s no published evidence of samples taken out-of-competition. Instead, they’re only taken at race events. This means the anti-doping regime is predictable and dishonest participants can rort the system, so doping rates will be much higher than what’s detected,” Ms Lee said.
“Most importantly, the dogs’ health is at risk due to doping.” (See the health risks here.)
Ms Lee said despite several government-initiated reviews recommending solutions to improve greyhound welfare, there has been little progress.
“The State Government has dragged its feet. Its failure to act shows a deeply ingrained disregard for the welfare of racing dogs. All the Government cares about is the tax it gets from betting,” she said.
“FY2021/22 saw Tasmanian wagering turnover increase to $860.3M1, so that means even more tax which helps the Government balance its books. Meanwhile, racing dogs are suffering and the community has lost faith in this Government’s commitment to animal welfare.”
Ms Lee said all greyhound lovers will be closely watching the Government’s review into dog welfare regulations2 to ensure it delivers on its promises about improving racing dog welfare.
“The Government said it will get the TasRacing Greyhound Animal Welfare Manual (2015) up to the same standard as dog welfare regulations in Tasmania. Right now, it’s way behind and permits mistreatment and underpar kennels. Hopefully, it won’t take a whole year,” she said.
“The bottom line is that the racing industry has failed on welfare and taxpayers are footing the bill to clean up. This industry doesn’t deserve any public funds, but gets millions.”
The report includes 12 major recommendations aimed at resolving shortcomings in the state’s regulatory regime for the dog racing industry (see backgrounder).
CPG is a dedicated group of volunteers across Australia who work together to inform the public about the cruelties of greyhound racing.
Backgrounder
What do animal welfare authorities say about greyhound racing?
RSPCA Australia says that there are significant ongoing animal welfare problems in the greyhound racing industry. The Australian Veterinary Association says many greyhounds with health concerns are not getting access to adequate veterinary care, which is a trend that needs to be addressed.
Greyhound industry regulation in Tasmania
In Tasmania, the commercial racing operator (Tasracing) and the regulator (ORI) are separate organisations:
- Tasracing administers the commercial side of greyhound racing and uses misleading economic claims to justify being subsidised with taxpayer dollars.
- The Office of Racing Integrity (ORI) is responsible for maintaining the probity and integrity of the thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing codes. ORI sits under the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania.
CPG’s report – 12 recommendations
Recommendation 1 – That the Tasmanian Government introduce legislation to clearly separate regulatory functions from those relating to racing operations, commercial interests or promotion of the industry. Regulatory functions must rest with a statutory authority accountable to the Tasmanian Government.
Recommendation 2 – That the Tasmanian Government amend the Racing (Tasracing Pty Ltd) Act 2009 to:
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remove from section 25 the current eligibility of persons actively involved in the three racing codes to be nominated to the Board of Directors, and
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add to section 25 the eligibility of at least three persons with expertise and experience in animal welfare to be nominated to the Board of Directors.
Recommendation 3 – That ORI develop penalty guidelines that specify the penalties to be applied to persons who:
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present a greyhound with a prohibited substance, or
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commit animal welfare related rule breaches (noting Recommendation 8 below).
Recommendation 4 – That those responsible for greyhounds returning a positive doping control sample be held to account by the strict application of the penalties specified in the penalty guidelines (see Recommendation 3). For repeat offenders, a penalty higher than the minimum penalty must apply.
Recommendation 5 – That ORI:
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develop and implement an intelligence-driven doping control program that is consistent with the approaches and strategies implemented by Sport Integrity Australia, and
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publish comprehensive information about the doping control activities undertaken.
Recommendation 6 – That the kennelling requirements for greyhounds be brought into line with the Tasmanian Government Department of Natural Resources and Environment’s Animal Welfare Guidelines for Dogs.
Recommendation 7 – That the Tasmanian Greyhound Animal Welfare Manual be amended to mandate:
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insulated kennels that protect greyhounds from temperatures lower than 16C or higher than 26C (consistent with NSW’s Greyhound Welfare Code of Practice),
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raised beds with bedding that is warm, soft, and dry and large enough for a greyhound to lie on while completely stretched out, and
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dental health checks and external and internal parasite control, as well as provision of vet care.
Recommendation 8 – That Local Rules the Tasmanian Greyhound Rules of Racing incorporating Tasmanian Greyhound Local Rules of Racing and Greyhounds Australia Rules (Local Rules) be amended to require any person registered with Tasracing who, by omission or direct action causes the death of an animal, or causes an animal to be in such condition that euthanasia is the only option, to be:
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referred to the relevant body for investigation and possible prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 1993,
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suspended from any further participation in greyhound racing while the investigation and prosecution is in progress, and
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banned from any involvement in greyhound racing for life if convicted under the Animal Welfare Act 1993.
Recommendation 9 – That Local Rules be amended to specify that any person responsible for a greyhound, who cannot provide evidence of a greyhound’s whereabouts, receive an automatic disqualification from racing for a minimum of 12 months per greyhound.
Recommendation 10 – That Local Rules be amended to specify that any greyhounds that have been:
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trained at facilities suspected of using live animals (live baiting) or animal parts be suspended from racing while an investigation is in progress, and
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trained at facilities proven to have used live animals (live baiting) or animal parts be disqualified from racing and entered into a behavioural training program to maximise their chances of being rehomed as pets.
Recommendation 11 – That ORI continues to publish its quarterly Breeding, Race Injury and Retirement data, but that it improves the quality and transparency of this data so that it demonstrates a genuine commitment to welfare. This should include:
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calculating injuries based on the number of dogs rather than number of starters,
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collecting more comprehensive data on retirement to include greyhounds retired to programs other than GAP,
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implementing a regulatory strategy for ensuring that those involved in the industry fulfil their obligation to socialise all greyhounds, to give them the best chance of becoming pets at the end of their racing career.
This strategy must include inspections of socialisation programs and an assessment of their effectiveness, as well as collecting feedback from GAP and volunteer based greyhound rescue organisations. This information must be published.
Recommendation 12 – That ORI publishes comprehensive information about how Tasracing performs as a regulator of the greyhound racing industry and how well they ensure the welfare of greyhounds that race in Tasmania. The information gaps identified in this report must be addressed.
1 Tasracing Annual Report 2022, p22.