Greyhound Racing in Australia
There 65 greyhound tracks in operation across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
A majority of the Greyhounds racing in Australia were bred in the country. In 2015, there were 3,006 litters of greyhounds registered. There are 261 breeding kennels listed on greyhound-data.com, an online database maintained by dog racing gamblers.
The Greyhound industry is responsible for the unnecessary deaths of 13,000 to 17,000 healthy greyhounds each year
This information was sourced from publicly available material and is correct to the best of our knowledge. Click here to view additional information including links to source material. Our thanks to Animals Australia for their Greyhound Racing Money Trail infographic of 2017 which inspired us to create this money map.
source https://greyhoundcoalition.com/exposing-the-issues/government-funded-racing-industry/
Ban Greyhound Racing in Australia
Each governing state and territory body has its own set of racing rules that include regulations regarding registrations for dogs, clubs and individuals, race meeting requirements and policies on doping. Greyhounds Australasia also has a set of regulations; however, the rules of local controlling bodies take precedence over them. Which mean there are different rules and regulations.
Australia is one of the seven other countries where greyhound racing industry is legal.
Strong national and international advocacy efforts saw the only track in China, Macau Canidrome, shut permanently in 2018. Further, race tracks in the United States are closing at a rapid rate, with a parliamentary bill tabled to ban greyhound racing outright. Australia, sadly, is trailing behind international standards.
When incidents occur which attract widespread public interest, there is often a huge upsurgence in concerns for animal welfare and calls for massive reform. Following the live baiting scandal, NSW declared a statewide greyhound racing ban in 2016 due to findings of a special commission of inquiry. The inquiry found “overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty, including mass greyhound killings and live baiting”. Although this ban was sadly overturned, it is indicative of the scope and magnitude of the widespread concerns with regards to animal welfare and industry integrity.
The ACT banned the industry outright in 2018, but currently there are no formal calls to ban greyhound racing anywhere else in Australia. With increased public scrutiny, welfare advocacy and lack of public support, there is hope that this vile industry will simply ‘run its course’ in the coming years.
In 2015, explosive investigations undertaken by Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Queensland documented widespread and entrenched ‘live baiting’ in Australia’s greyhound racing industry. Terrified piglets, rabbits and native possums were being tied to lures, flung around racetracks at breakneck speeds, and then mauled to death in a sadistic training method that was not only widespread, but widely accepted. Despite intense public backlash, in 2023 dogs and other animals are continuing to suffer for the sake of gambling profits.