Transcript of media conference with Kristy Alger, spokesperson for Animal Liberation Tasmania, and Rosalie Woodruff, Tasmanian Greens’ Leader, Parliament Lawns, Hobart, 19 April 2024.

Kristy Alger

This week, a member of the public approached us. They had responded to a Gumtree advert for a free greyhound. They were referred on to Hall of Fame trainer, breeder and owner Barry Heawood. And he gave them a greyhound on Tuesday that he identified as Radio Signal. Radio Signal is desexed, but he is not in a wind-down period. Nor has he received his mandatory dental work.

The member of public returned two days later with a friend to receive another greyhound. This greyhound was identified by Barry Heawood as Cheers To You. Cheers To You,is not desexed, no dental work, had not begun their wind-down period. And we just discovered that she raced only one week ago. Her behaviour as such – having not had a suitable wind-down period – makes her unsuitable for an average member of public to have received her. She is very highly strung, she is very highly wired and stressed. However, she is in the care of somebody responsible who will be able to give her the best support she needs.

Journalist – Josh Duggan

Can you tell us why this is significant?

Kristy Alger

This is significant because Tasracing like to talk about their re-homing policies as though they provide some safety net for the greyhounds. But we’ve just shown that they don’t, again. This comes after the untimely demise of Zipping Princess last year who was given away on Gumtree with a pre-existing medical condition that killed her within four days of rescue. And now we have here racing royalty giving away undesexed dogs on Gumtree to members of the public, not abiding by the policies set in place by Tasracing, and further admitting to members of the public that he knows he is breaking the rules, and he will falsify documents to cover his back.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Can you talk to us about why that wind-down period is important?

Kristy Alger

A wind-down period of 28 days is important because it gives the greyhounds a period of time to transition from racing’s physical and psychological state to a state that is more suited to being in a home. It is utterly essential for greyhounds to transition safely from the track. But what has happened here is that that policy has not been abided by.

Journalist – Alex Johnston

Where is the onus do you think? If a trainer decides they want to give up a dog, should it be easy for them? Or should the onus be on them to do all of the medical work required? You know, who do you think needs to pick up the slack? Because obviously, it’s not good enough.

Kristy Alger

There’s two angles that we need to look at this from. One is the angle of Tasracing not doing the job of oversight. There is no reason why a trainer-owner-breeder should be able to offload dogs on Gumtree without the requisite wind-down period and medical work. The other onus has to be on the industry participants to do the right thing. They want their industry to survive. But they know they’re under increased scrutiny, and yet they continue to behave in a manner that is contrary to what the industry wants everybody to believe it abides by.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Whenever the racing industry gets attacked, it’s often you know, ‘the wider industry is doing the right thing, it’s just a few rogue operators breaking the rules’. Is that the case, are the majority of owners doing the right thing in your opinion?

Kristy Alger

Well, let’s put it this way. Since August last year, we have released footage from 21 greyhound properties that largely show poor conditions on properties, many with chewed wood kennelling, poor bedding or no bedding, dirty conditions, green water. Other things we have uncovered, of course, at the Bullock property, with dogs in freezing conditions without any warmth. This is something that is occurring across the industry.

And now we have Barry Heawood who was once described as one of the most prolific greyhound breeders in Tasmania, who supplies dogs all across the state, who is doing the wrong thing on a grand scale. We know that these two dogs aren’t the only dogs he has re-homed via Gumtree. And also we know that these are not the only female dogs he has re-homed undesexed. We know one went to Launceston this week. So this is a massive problem when racing royalty, who is so broadly involved with the industry and has been for over four decades, is behaving in this manner.

Journalist – Josh Duggan

Does it follow that there’s only so many bad apples that can be in an industry before the industry itself needs to ask some serious questions?

Kristy Alger

How many more bad apples can one crate hold without the entire rest of the crate being rotten? It’s as simple as that. Every month there seems to be something coming out from this this industry where we get told ‘it’s a one off. It’s an isolated case’. We know it’s not, we have proved that. It is time for action. We demand an inquiry into the greyhound racing industry. And if Jane Howlett is serious about her reappointment as the Racing Minister, she had better heed calls from the community.

Tasmanian Times

The government funds the Greyhound Adoption Program. Is that functioning as it should? Is that not able to pick up the slack where these kinds of dogs are involved?

Kristy Alger

Heawood actually informed the members of public that attended his property that the reason they do this is because GAP has such an extensive waiting list, that they’re sick and tired. They can’t wait to have dogs enter into the program. They can’t afford to have dogs entering into the program. Now you would think that that would mean the breeders would hold off breeding, but they’re not. So we still have this issue where GAP is under-performing, Tasracing is not providing the oversight necessary, and the industry participants aren’t behaving according to policy.

Journalist – Alex Johnston

Obviously, I presume if we ask the trainer that he would say, ‘Well, I wanted the dog to go to a good home.’ Obviously, your argument is there are so many more obligations they have before they put them up. Do we need a safety net though, so that if a trainer does feel under pressure, they can’t look after a dog anymore, I guess they can sort of put their hand up and say ‘I can no longer care for this dog.’ And a safe net comes along. I guess what I’m getting at is it’s not a great circumstance, but it’s better than having that dog who starve to death. You know what I’m saying like, not not that that’s an excuse. But you know what I’m saying?

Kristy Alger

There does need to be a safety net provided for industry participants who are struggling with the number of dogs they have. For years, smaller rescues have been providing that safety net. When we look at Brightside, the dogs’ homes, the RSPCA, they’ve been taking on greyhounds in large quantities – especially Brightside – for many, many years, as well as a lot of other smaller independent rescues. That’s the safety net and it’s provided by the community.

Tasracing needs to step up. There needs to be a breeding cap put in place, there needs to be caps put in place of how many dogs and individual owner-trainer-breeder can actually possess. If one of the industry participants can’t afford to look after their dogs than they should be looking very hard as to why they are still participating in the industry. The train of thought

Journalist – Alex Johnston

On harness racing we’ve got the situation now that the leading trainer who’s got a lot of horse, Ben Yole, isn’t going to be able to race for 45 days. I know some of these horses are in control of someone else. Does everyone need to make sure that all these horses affected, you know, because there’s a rule now, he can only have four in a race, you know, or any one trainer can only have four in a race, those horses that aren’t deemed fast enough to race, do we need to make sure they are looked after and I mean, that’s all hands on deck?

Kristy Alger

So what we’re seeing say with the Yole case is a massive amount of animals, in poor conditions – we’ve all seen the footage from that property – who are now facing the very real possibility of being fed to greyhounds. We know that that is the outcome for so many horses used in harness racing and on the flats. We know in fact, that at the Tea Tree property owned by Barry Hayward, but is currently managed by Trevor Cuttriss formerly of Zoodoo, we know horses have been slaughtered there. And in fact, Barry Heawood provided horse meat to the members of public. So we know what the outcomes are for horses used in the industry as well as outside of the industry. Tasracing need to step up and make sure that they use the public funding that they’re using to exploit animals they need to make sure that is injected into rescue programs to make sure the horses and the greyhounds being discarded by this industry are kept safe

Rosalie Woodruff

Once again, we’ve got animal activists who have done the work that the government should have done. It is terrible to hear the story of two dogs, gentle greyhounds, who have been so badly abused. They haven’t been looked after, clearly. And the trainers who handed them over to members of the public hadn’t done the vet work on them, hadn’t cared for them, and most importantly had broken the law. The flagrant breaches of this Hall of Fame trainer goes to show that they operate with complete impunity. They know that nothing will happen, there will be no enforcement of the law. And we’ve got one we’ve got a Hall of Fame trainer, who is going on a global scale breaching the law breaching the racing regulations. It’s obvious that he knows he can act and there will be no consequences.

This is a failure of the Liberal government. Over the last decade, successive racing ministers who have done nothing. We’ve got Tasracing who hasn’t stepped in, who hasn’t done their job. And we’ve got regulations that are on a daily basis it seems being flouted by trainers and owners across the state. It’s terrible for the animals. It’s terrible for those beautiful greyhounds, some of the most gentle and sensitive of dogs, being treated in a horrible way.

And let’s not cry crocodile tears for the owners and the costs involved. Let’s remember that they already get covered for vet checks, they already get covered to do the desexing that’s required by law. It’s not a cost that’s coming out of the millions of dollars that some of the largest trainers like this trainer make every year. This is a profit-making industry and it uses gentle greyhound dogs and casts them off clearly without any care for their welfare. It is a disgrace that it continues to happen. This is very solid evidence and we expect the new Minister Jane Howlett to act immediately to investigate it. And to put some close attention to the failure of the regulatory authority,

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

What should be the consequences of [inaudible]?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, there needs to be an obvious investigation. This seems like a slam dunk case from what I understand. But there are allegations to be proved and the Minister needs to immediately have an investigation. And while that’s happening, there obviously should be no racing undertaken by this by this trainer-owner. We have to have proper regulations and enforcement. Obviously, there’s a failure to enforce but the regulations themselves are totally deficient.

When you’ve got our trainers who are saying that they can’t pass dogs through the Greyhound Adoption Program, that’s a failed program. We had many questions for the head of Tasracing in Estimates last year. And it’s pretty clear that the way GAP is being run is failing. It’s not doing the job it’s meant to do. It’s not getting the resourcing. And it’s not implementing the regulations for trainers and the conditions of the dogs that they deliver dogs to GAP, the condition that they’re in.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

On Ben Yole, warning off by Tasracing, was that a positive step forward to see that happen again?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, it is a positive step. It’s the only step that can be taken. And it’s obvious that Tasracing has bowed to community pressure. We wouldn’t be here without the work of animal activists without the pressure from the community. There’s no way that that decision would have been made if it hadn’t been for animal activists and concerned members of the Tasmanian community who hate to see the harm that’s been done to horse racing and the integrity damage that’s been done to the horse racing industry.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Are you frustrated we’re still waiting on the expert panel for a response to the Murrihy report?

Rosalie Woodruff

Yes, you know everything about animal welfare is last on the priority list for this government and it always has been. We’re going to go back into Parliament and fight really hard to get transparency on these issues. Most importantly, the model that the government is proposing, we don’t have confidence that given the way Tasracing and the Office of Racing Integrity have operated, collapsing ORI into Tasracing is going to get great animal welfare outcomes, we don’t have confidence. And so we will be putting the Minister under as much pressure as possible to put animal welfare at the top of the list instead of putting the profit-making of the industry at the top of the list.

Journalist – Josh Duggan

Obviously there’s been a bit of public pressure, but Tasracing seem to be the only government body that’s taking the Yole situation seriously at the moment or handed out any kind of penalty. Is that fair to say that Tasracing won’t be able to keep things in check?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, better late than never. They obviously have to prove that they’re capable of doing something effective, because years and years and years have gone by where they haven’t taken action on similar matters that have been brought before them. And so now they’re finally doing that; they have to demonstrate that they’re worth something. Clearly, they’re under pressure now, public pressure, to show that they’re capable of doing the job that the government is proposing, the job of work that government’s proposing to give them. So, you know, we’ll be watching really closely, but they’ve covered themselves with no glory over the years. We’ve got a lot of scepticism going forward. And we’re going to be scrutinising how that how the integrity is actually capable of being enforced under Tasracing.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Those notices only applied to four individuals, they don’t apply to Ben Yole’s horses in general is my understanding. Do you think Ben Yole horses should be able to race?

Rosalie Woodruff

I don’t have a clear view about that. I think it all depends on the quality of the care for the animals. If they’re still operating under Ben Yole, and he’s been warned off and he’s in any way responsible for them, then no they shouldn’t be continuing to race. Why should he be getting a financial advantage when he has clearly failed to do the right thing? So there should be no financial advantage, that wouldn’t send the right message.

Journalist – Alex Johnston

But having said that, if you can’t have a system where a horse could safely move to another trainer, don’t you run the risk of that horse being neglected?

Rosalie Woodruff

We’ve had a problem for decades in Tasmania about these big industry players being too big to fail, which is why we’ve got the situation that we’re in. And I’ve spoken personally to harness racing owners and trainers. They’re very keen to get this kind of dominance of the sport that’s happened out of the way so they can get on with the kind of level of racing, the small scale racing and the fair deal racing, that they want to be part of. So, you know, I’m not interested in being an apologist for big players who have shown that they don’t care about the rules, and they don’t care about animal welfare, or integrity.

Journalist – David Killick

Is the problem that we’re just propping up with taxpayers’ dollars an industry that basically relies on cruelty as a business model, preys on the misery of gambling addicts and is all round unsustainable? Shouldn’t we just be winding it up?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, thanks for quoting the Greens policy at the last state election, that’s really helpful. Absolutely the Greens think that we shouldn’t be subsidising Tasracing nearly $30 million a year. You know, if people want to gamble, that’s on their head, go for it. But taxpayers’ money shouldn’t be going there. It should be going for for kids to get lunches in schools and it should be going to nurses in emergency departments so that they can do their job and people can get a bed on time. It’s obviously a ridiculous situation that we’re propping up a gambling-profit industry. If people want to do that, be it on their own head and be it on their own wallet.

Tasmanian Times

Just on that, with say salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour, in your election policy you’d actually set out some funding and some ideas about where other jobs could be created in that area. So hypothetically, in terms of racing, how could you create regional jobs of the kind that racing does support?

Rosalie Woodruff

I look forward to the Liberals in government with all the machinery they have and all their resources to do the work on that. That’s not really the job of the Greens. We did the work in the election campaign because the government fails to go there. But you know, the bottom line is you’ve got regional communities that need far more support, and they need to be sustainable industries, sustainable employment. What we’ve got in Tasmania are regional communities who are utterly dependent on a number of industries that are not sustainable. Native forest logging, not sustainable. Fish farms, not sustainable. Racing industry, not sustainable. These industries have to not have any taxpayer money behind them. And they’ve got to be good for the environment,

Journalist – Alex Johnston

Will the Greens nominated anyone for the role of Speaker?

Rosalie Woodruff

There’s lots of matters that we’re having conversations about amongst ourselves and with other Members of Parliament. And, you know, we’ll just wait and see where we get to on that one.

Journalist – Alex Johnston

If Michelle O’Byrne is nominated would the Greens consider throwing their increased support behind her?

Rosalie Woodruff

Michelle O’Byrne’s always been an amazing operator in Parliament, I’ve got to say. I think everyone in Parliament would agree she probably has a better grip on the Standing Orders than almost anybody else who’s there at the moment. She’s a formidable performer. But so many people are formidable in many other ways. So we haven’t reached a position at all on that matter.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Would you prefer Mark Shelton or Michelle O’Byrne?

Rosalie Woodruff

I think we’re on the record for having criticisms for the partisanship that we’ve experienced in Parliament over the last term. And so we certainly are making our voices known to the Premier that we’re not prepared to accept a person in the role of Speaker who is not capable of being fair and upholding the Standing Orders, it’s not going to work for the Premier if he puts someone like that in the chair because things are going to unravel fast.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Just to be explicit, you clearly don’t want Mark Shelton to remain as Speaker going forward?

Rosalie Woodruff

I’m just making it really clear to the Premier, that whoever he puts in the chair has to understand that they have to be entirely impartial, and capable of applying the Standing Orders in a way that is fair for every Member of Parliament. No favorites, no special deals. That’s what we expect. And we hope he listens to what we’ve got to say.

Journalist – Alex Johnston

Would it be a healthier Parliament if the Speaker didn’t come from the government benches?

Rosalie Woodruff

It’s possible, you know, in Parliaments to have to have good Speakers from the government benches. And I can think of people on the government benches who would make good Speakers and fair Speakers. The bottom line is we need to have a person who’s going to be fair and apply the Standing Orders to everybody the same.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Would Mark Shelton meet those requirements you’ve just set out?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, I’ve just made it really clear that I’m talking to the Premier and I’ll make it really clear that whoever he puts in the chair has to meet those requirements.

Journalist – David Killick

It’s the Parliament who puts the person in the chair, they only nominate –

Rosalie Woodruff

You’re absolutely right, and if the Premier is thinking of nominating anyone that is a minimum standard. But it’s open for other other members, of course, and the Greens are thinking about that matter.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

Katrina Munting spoke on behalf of other victim survivors yesterday. She was talking about the toll on personal lives and work that appearing before the Commission of Inquiry has been taking. What supports should the government have already put in place and what do they need to do now?

Rosalie Woodruff

I was incredibly sad to hear Katrina Munting has had that experience. And I just felt so disheartened, that Jeremy Rockliff appears not to have kept his word. He made an absolute heartfelt statement that he would provide support in the way of professional professional help and services or personal contact in Parliament to make sure that victims survivors weren’t out of pocket.

It’s terrible that after this period of time, someone like Katrina and other victim survivors haven’t been getting that treatment and support. Jeremy Rockliff promised victims survivors that he would that they would have professional care, a personal contact in government, that they wouldn’t be left on their own. And the idea that they’ve just been handed a card as though that’s enough is just beyond terrible.

Jeremy Rockliff needs to step up, he has to intervene immediately. Obviously if he did delegate this work it has not been done. But they need resources, they need support. If people aren’t able to go to work because of the experiences that they’ve had and the trauma they’ve suffered through the process of giving evidence at the Commission of Inquiry. That is the responsibility of government: to support them in that and in their life.

Journalist – Josh Duggan

How much responsibility for that does the government hold by the fact that there’s been quite a few missteps, both in the handling of the Commission’s recommendations and what they’ve done since?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, I think ultimately the Tasmanian Government is responsible for the pain and suffering that victim survivors experience for the abuse that they suffered at Tasmanian Government institutions. The current Tasmanian Government is responsible for making redress, looking after those people.

What has happened after the Commission of Inquiry Report was handed down last year has been painful for many victim survivors. Because we haven’t got clarity on really important questions about whether state secretaries, heads of departments are still involved in any way in the rolling out of the response to the Commission of Inquiry. And we haven’t had the closing of Ashley, we haven’t had the resourcing the big step up in resourcing going to children in out of home care. These are critical issues that the Commissioners wanted the government to focus on. They haven’t responded in the way the Commissioners recommended, and it is painful for victim survivors.

Journalist – Adam Langenberg

There’s quite a few compensation cases going through the courts [inaudible] impacting on work and personal life and those kinds of things are considered in compensation cases. Do you think it’s right that it be left there or should there be financial support from the government on top of any [inaudible]?

Rosalie Woodruff

Well, I don’t know anything obviously about individual cases. But I can say that if there are people today, victim survivors, who’ve given evidence to the Commission of Inquiry, and they’re not able to go to work and they’re not being supported in that process, then that is really not good enough. It is the government’s responsibility to step in until a court decision is made, if a court process is in train.

Rosalie Woodruff and Kristy Alger.