Page 132 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 14 December 2016
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This motion brings to our attention some very serious issues and principles of equity and entitlement to natural justice. To me, this is a blow struck against the very Liberal ideals that have seen me come into this place to represent the people—the ideal that we should all be able to make choices about our lives, about what we enjoy doing and how we conduct ourselves, and that it is not for governments to determine what pastimes we should engage in.
I want to know what comes next. After you have stopped greyhound racing, what do you go about banning next? Indeed, I have got a cracker of an idea. How about you ban fundraising chocolates from workplaces? We could ban the evil Freddo frog. I have read this morning that that is the case. I can mention to those on the other side that if they still wish to indulge in Freddo frogs I have got a secret stash in my office. If you want to, just come and knock on the door. There is a password, and that is “freedom”.
Seriously, what is next after greyhound racing? Do we close harness racing? Do we remove the thoroughbreds? Do we stop flyball? Do we stop the sheepdog trials and sled dog racing? Do we remove sniffer dogs from airports? Do we remove police horses? Here is an idea for you: how about we aim for the Canberra show to be animal free by 2020? There is a great aspirational target if you are looking for one. Then we could move on and ban bacon and eggs, and we could truly make Canberra great again. Seriously, I am gobsmacked.
The Labor-Greens government has embarked on a mission to arbitrarily terminate a legitimate and valid sporting industry within the ACT, and I am dismayed. This is an industry that articulates and seeks to uphold high standards of animal welfare as evidenced by its current welfare strategy. It is committed to further reform of its already high standards, standards that are in the public domain for all to see. It is highly transparent with its operations and activities. Its annual reports, corporate governance documents and constitution are all visible and available to the public. Indeed, everything it does is visible and available to the government, or to the public at least.
If those from the other side bothered to actually go out to Symonston one Sunday night and have a look, I am certain that they would be pleasantly surprised. Perhaps they would be unpleasantly surprised to learn that what they are planning to do to this sport is unwarranted. I know a lot about greyhound racing, and let me tell you: I did not learn it all from watching an hour of Four Corners. Speaking of the Four Corners program, which rightly brought national outrage, I must point out that much of that outrage was centred around the deplorable practice of live baiting.
Please allow me to enlighten members from both sides about the practice of live baiting. Live baiting involves connecting a live animal of some description to a mechanical lure and allowing greyhounds to chase and ultimately catch it. The deplorable practice of live baiting requires a mechanical lure. In the ACT we have one mechanical lure, just one. It is located at the racetrack in Symonston and it is under constant video surveillance. Every single time that lure is in operation, its operation is videoed and kept.
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