Page 5143 - Week 14 - Tuesday, 28 November 2017
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When you consider how many times the position has changed, there is no possible way we can refer to election results or promises that were made by government.
The minister also declared in his speech that this ban was “about protecting animal welfare”. I find it hard to believe that the minister would use these words in defence of his own policy. The minister has, on multiple occasions, confirmed that the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club has never breached any animal welfare legislation. Mr Ramsay and Mr Gentleman have both confirmed that live baiting has never occurred in the ACT. It has never occurred, and it will never occur. There is one mechanical lure in the ACT, and it is under 24/7 video surveillance. You can be absolutely certain that live baiting will never occur here.
If the government’s priority is animal welfare, why was the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club not held as the benchmark for industry reform? We had an opportunity—and we still do—to be the leaders of industry reform, reform that will see conditions in animal welfare for dogs across the nation lifted. On a number of occasions, the Canberra Greyhound Racing Club has stated, to both the government and the RSPCA, its willingness to engage in further measures to ensure that the ACT held its position as the frontrunner for animal welfare in this country. Both have refused to join the conversation.
The minister’s efforts to draw New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro into supporting the ban is laughable. We know that the Deputy Premier is on the record as stating that he got it wrong, the New South Wales government got it wrong and the then Premier got it wrong. You will not find a more vocal supporter of the greyhound industry than John Barilaro. Unlike this minister, Mr Barilaro was able to recognise that he got it wrong and has since supported a reform package of the industry that ensures that animal welfare is front and centre.
We know that the New South Wales government has acknowledged that there were massive flaws within the McHugh report. This is why the New South Wales government has changed its policy to one that focuses on changing the standards in the training of greyhounds rather than the banning of greyhounds. We know—I acknowledge—that some bad people have done some bad things in the greyhound racing industry, and some of them were in New South Wales. The sport’s governing body in New South Wales and others across this country have dealt with these perpetrators and have made the necessary reforms to the industry so that it has a long-term future.
The only real reason being offered of late by the minister in his very scant public appearances on this matter, the only justification for the ban, is that it is impossible for us to separate the ACT industry from the New South Wales industry and there was once this flawed report which detailed quite a number of animal welfare breaches.
Before I finish, I would like to touch on one thing that the minister said during his presentation speech. He said, “We will continue to work with those in the industry.” This minister has never attempted to work with the industry through this process. He has not once been to the track. He has refused to talk to the media about his policy
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