Page 5147 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017
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solution to all of the issues and a culture of animal abuse that was highlighted in the McHugh report.
We need to be certain that all greyhounds in the territory are being treated in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards. That is why this legislation places a ban on greyhound racing and trialling here in the territory and also enhances safeguards for those people who choose to breed and train greyhounds for racing in other jurisdictions. The reality is that we cannot control the animal welfare standards in other jurisdictions. That means we have no way of knowing whether dogs racing in the ACT that have come from other states have been subjected to live baiting or other cruel practices, though we do have evidence that those practices have been systemic in the greyhound industry in the past. Given that the ACT industry is so reliant on dogs coming from interstate, the ban on greyhound racing in the ACT is the only way to be sure that those horrific practices are not occurring here.
Furthermore, the licensing and registration requirements outlined in the changes to the Domestic Animals Act will ensure there is stronger oversight of any racing greyhounds in the ACT. A particularly important addition is the requirement for owners to apply for racing greyhound registration for their dog from the age of six months, and that the dog is assumed to be a racing greyhound unless the owner declares otherwise. This is important so that greyhounds that are being reared and educated for racing before they start formal training are still being monitored to ensure that their welfare is being protected. This requirement, along with the requirement to notify Domestic Animal Services about the details of new litters, is important to protect against wastage and the killing off of dogs where there is an oversupply, problems that were highlighted in both the McHugh and Durkin reports. The Greens are also pleased to see that the costs associated with the additional oversight will be passed on to those who choose to own, breed and train racing greyhounds and will not be subsidised by the broader ACT community.
I genuinely appreciate that the people involved in the greyhound racing industry will experience distress over the end of the industry. That has been made clear in this place and outside. That is why the Greens proposed redirecting government funds into helping ACT greyhound owners, trainers and workers to be retrained for work in other industries and providing other assistance as required. I share the concerns that others have raised about the welfare of people involved in the industry, and again encourage those people to contact the transition task force so that emotional, psychological and financial support can be provided in a way that best meets the needs of each individual.
These changes are hard. We see it as various industries, for a range of reasons, close down or are reformed over time. Perhaps the case that is most akin to this is the end of the whaling industry in Australia in 1978. There were entire towns based on that industry but, as a community, we decided that it was time to end that practice. New practices have sprung up since that have become new industries. But these changes are hard. I do not step away from that at all. I have sympathy for those who find this a very difficult transition. But this is an industry. It is not a pastime. It is about making money from the racing of dogs. And, as I have cited in the figures earlier, the toll on
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