tag:theconversation.com,2011:/fr/topics/greyhound-racing-29313/articlesgreyhound racing – The Conversation2022-08-03T20:04:21Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1879302022-08-03T20:04:21Z2022-08-03T20:04:21ZThis surgical procedure to impregnate greyhounds in Australia is a major animal welfare issue<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477271/original/file-20220803-16-kh6qb7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C55%2C4580%2C3393&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Greyhounds in Australia will continue to be impregnated via a procedure that’s illegal in other countries, after a provision to ban it was recently overturned in a New South Wales government <a href="https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1381791/b2021-081-d09.pdf">bill</a>.</p>
<p>This procedure, known as “surgical artificial insemination”, is unnecessary and unethical, as it is highly invasive and <a href="https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-are-the-animal-welfare-issues-with-greyhound-racing/">often painful</a> for dogs. </p>
<p>An <a href="https://www.grnsw.com.au/uploads/OM22%20276%20Letter%20to%20Mr%20Tony%20Mestrov.pdf">estimated 80%</a> of greyhound breeding in the state involves surgical artificial insemination. The practice is legal throughout Australia.</p>
<p>The procedure is not only used in racing greyhounds, but also <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/submissions/77510/0065%20French%20Bulldog%20Club%20of%20NSW%20Inc.pdf">flat-faced breeds</a>, such as the French bulldog. These dogs are physically challenged, with airway issues that place them at a higher risk for undergoing anaesthesia.</p>
<p>I am a veterinarian with over 30 years experience, with particular interest in welfare and ethics in animal ownership and veterinary practice. I believe this procedure is an animal welfare issue and must not continue, especially when safer alternatives are available.</p>
<h2>What is surgical artificial insemination?</h2>
<p>Surgical artificial insemination involves anaesthetising a female dog at the time of ovulation and incising her abdomen. The surgeon locates her uterus in order to inject semen, before returning the uterus to the abdomen. </p>
<p>It is not to be confused with “artificial insemination”, a safer procedure used around the world, including in humans. In most cases, it involves the relatively benign deposition of sperm into the uterus through the vagina and cervix (called “transcervical insemination”).</p>
<p>The proposal to prohibit surgical artificial insemination was contained in an early draft of the Animal Welfare Bill 2022, after two rounds of public consultation. </p>
<p>Steep opposition to the ban followed, such as from the <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/lcdocs/submissions/77535/0090%20NSW%20Greyhound%20Breeders.pdf">NSW greyhound racing industry</a>. The NSW government confirmed to The Conversation that after receiving further feedback, the provision <a href="https://www.grnsw.com.au/uploads/OM22%20276%20Letter%20to%20Mr%20Tony%20Mestrov.pdf">will not be included</a> in the final version of the Animal Welfare Bill.</p>
<p>It pointed to a <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/whole/html/inforce/current/act-2017-013">different law</a> that already regulates artificial insemination of racing greyhounds. This requires that surgical artificial insemination can only be performed by a veterinarian using general anaesthetic, with appropriate pain relief during and post-surgery. </p>
<p>But this is only a minimal concession, given major procedures on animals are performed by veterinary surgeons as regulated by state veterinary boards. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greyhound-racing-despite-waning-public-support-governments-are-spending-big-to-keep-the-industry-running-184849">Greyhound racing: despite waning public support, governments are spending big to keep the industry running</a>
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<h2>Many veterinary surgeons oppose it</h2>
<p>Surgical artificial insemination has been under scrutiny in Europe for over a decade. The ethical issues stem from the fact the dogs undergo a highly invasive surgery to ensure pregnancy, presenting an unacceptable level of risk for dogs. </p>
<p>A British <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1439-0531.2008.01157.x?casa_token=-pAVw2Yp9KsAAAAA%3AriZ9ALV3GlA83QuscskLHGfWIsQq6XvF4kLjll7LsFJjxPwHJD8otDoC4CZawumF63k17deE2LgBawo">paper from 2008</a> suggested using an <a href="https://press-files.anu.edu.au/downloads/press/p60381/mobile/ch04s05.html">ethical matrix</a> to assess reproductive intervention in dogs. An ethical matrix is a tool that integrates values from those with different opinions in order to make a major decision.</p>
<p>More recently, a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34729723/">European survey</a> of 83 veterinary surgeons in 2022 found 80% working in assisted reproduction in dogs felt significant ethical conflict related to the practices some breeders requested. Over 62% stated that surgical insemination is not ethical.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">New South Wales overturns greyhound ban: a win for the industry, but a massive loss for the dogs</a>
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<p>The United Kingdom banned the procedure <a href="https://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-views/features/standards-and-advice-update-january-2019/#:%7E:text=The%20proposed%20changes%20to%20the,sensitive%20tissue%20or%20bone%20structure.">in 2019</a>, as have Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.</p>
<p>There are additional risks from the surgery for greyhounds, in particular. Greyhounds are often at slightly more risk for general anaesthetic than most other dog breeds, as the anaesthetic effects last longer. </p>
<p>They are also at a greater risk of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1939-1676.2008.0088.x">blood clotting failure</a> if there’s a minor surgical bleed related to the procedure. This is due to a breed-related tendency to break down clots quickly in the body.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Racing greyhounds" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/477281/original/file-20220803-17-gs9o51.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The greyhound racing industry in Australia uses surgical artificial insemination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>A safer, effective alternative</h2>
<p>One reason surgical artificial insemination is so widely used is because it supposedly leads to multiple large litters. But there are alternative methods that are far safer for greyhounds and give good, if not better, results. </p>
<p>In particular, many specialists in veterinary reproduction advocate for transcervical insemination as the most effective way of inseminating a greyhound. This method of insemination is widely used worldwide, and occurs via a vaginal and cervical catheter. </p>
<p>It can be done in a matter of minutes with the dog fully conscious, avoiding the risks associated with general anaesthesia and open abdominal surgery. </p>
<p><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33817780/">A letter</a> from veterinary reproductive specialists to the Australian Veterinary Journal last year argued that surgical artificial insemination should cease in Australia, with transcervical insemination used instead. </p>
<p>As they write, it’s important for veterinary surgeons to “protect the deservedly attained privilege to be the guardians of animal health and welfare”.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/to-pat-or-not-to-pat-how-to-keep-interactions-between-kids-and-dogs-safe-182419">To pat or not to pat? How to keep interactions between kids and dogs safe</a>
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<p>Numerous reports have shown transcervical insemination is as productive as surgical artificial insemination, especially when using frozen-thawed semen. </p>
<p>In particular, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28708517/">a nine-year study</a> from New Zealand on 1,146 dogs objectively concluded that there is “no difference in whelping rate” after either transcervical insemination or surgical artificial insemination. Another <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195561618300160?via%3Dihub">scientific paper</a> from 2018 also confirmed that the risk to the dog is far lower. </p>
<p>If surgical artificial insemination continues to be used despite the evidence, welfare and ethical viewpoints that render it redundant, Australia’s standard of animal welfare will stay disastrously and embarrassingly low.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/187930/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Pollard Williams was a Greens candidate for the Wagga City Council.</span></em></p>I am a veterinarian with over 30 years experience. I believe this procedure must not continue, especially when safer alternatives are available.Sarah Pollard Williams, Adjunct lecturer, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1848492022-06-15T20:00:52Z2022-06-15T20:00:52ZGreyhound racing: despite waning public support, governments are spending big to keep the industry running<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468927/original/file-20220615-12-e3co0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C29%2C4999%2C2945&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tonia Kraakman/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>An <a href="https://haepetitions.parliament.tas.gov.au/haepet/Home/PetitionDetails/98">e-petition</a> against greyhound racing to the Tasmanian parliament reached a record number of signatures last week, with 13,519 people demanding the state government end public funding of the industry. The <a href="https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/data-breach-affects-local-ndis-and-care-clients-minister-confirms/news-story/e73a9fc2ed2837d4d2f7f0c4fdd52631">previous record</a> in Tasmania was 11,699 signatures, for an e-petition supporting end-of-life choices.</p>
<p>It is clear that public opposition to greyhound racing isn’t going away. In May 2021, a <a href="https://freethehounds.com.au/end-greyhound-racing/">petition</a> opposing greyhound racing in the Western Australian parliament attracted similar support. A second petition to ban greyhound racing in WA <a href="https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/Parliament/LCePetitions.nsf/(%24All)/D021F904C89EB4C648258805002B35AC?opendocument">opened in March 2022</a>.</p>
<p>Yet, recent history doesn’t bode well for the success of these petitions. Despite over a decade of public outcry and animal cruelty revelations, greyhound racing is still legal in all Australian states and territories, except the ACT. </p>
<p>It seems governments are doggedly committed to providing financial support to an industry that is arguably out of step with community values, and has struggled to make ends meet on its own. Let’s take a closer look at government support of greyhound racing.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C105%2C7793%2C5105&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A black greyhound snoozing on a couch" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C105%2C7793%2C5105&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468899/original/file-20220615-12-d579ne.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Greyhounds make great pets, and spend most of the day snoozing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Annie Spratt/Unsplash</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>Government support for greyhound racing</h2>
<p>The greyhound racing industry was put under the spotlight in 2015 after <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-16/live-baiting-expose-to-rock-greyhound-industry/6109878">ABC Four Corners revealed</a> instances of using live baits, such as possums and piglets, to train greyhounds. </p>
<p>This led to <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/protesters-gather-in-martin-place-to-call-for-an-end-to-greyhound-racing-20161023-gs8l2b.html">public protests</a> and a New South Wales <a href="https://apo.org.au/node/65365">Special Commission of Inquiry</a> in 2016, which found the industry had lost its social licence. Among its disturbing findings was that of the 97,783 greyhounds bred in NSW over 12 years, up to 68,448 dogs were killed.</p>
<p>Yet, these developments were not enough to effectively ban the greyhound racing industry in NSW. </p>
<p>Following a hugely contentious <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">legislative turnaround</a> in which greyhound racing was reinstituted after being banned, the <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/boost-for-the-industry-the-government-had-wanted-to-kill-20180731-p4zulx.html">NSW government contributed A$500,000 in prize money</a> to the inaugural Million Dollar Chase in 2018. This is considered <a href="https://www.thedogs.com.au/features/million-dollar-chase">the richest greyhound race event in the world</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">New South Wales overturns greyhound ban: a win for the industry, but a massive loss for the dogs</a>
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<p>Queensland’s government followed suit. In 2019 it pledged an <a href="https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/88652">extra $4.1 million</a> to the state’s greyhound racing industry in prize money for 2019-2020, and to build a $39 million racing venue in southeast Queensland.</p>
<p>Apart from generous financial support to the greyhound racing industry and public opposition to the industry, other issues continue to attract debate. </p>
<p>These include <a href="https://www.rspcawa.org.au/greyhound-racing">calls for</a> mandatory collection and publication of birth, death, and injury data, and a ban on exporting greyhounds. In 2021, the integrity unit of Greyhound Racing Victoria <a href="https://www.racenet.com.au/news/concerns-greyhounds-had-been-exported-overseas-without-greyhounds-australasia-approval-20210817">investigated alleged illegal export of greyhounds</a>, involving greyhounds being flown to the United Kingdom and then rerouted to China.</p>
<h2>Is it really benefiting the economy?</h2>
<p>Any claimed economic benefits of the greyhound racing industry, and justifications for government support, require scrutiny. Let’s take Tasmania as an example. This month, Tasracing chief executive Paul Eriksson <a href="https://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/data-breach-affects-local-ndis-and-care-clients-minister-confirms/news-story/e73a9fc2ed2837d4d2f7f0c4fdd52631">told the Mercury</a>: </p>
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<p>while there were other costs associated with the industry, including track maintenance, administration and welfare, it ultimately generated economic benefits to the state of $53.2m and supported 433 full-time equivalent workers.</p>
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<p>The figures Eriksson quotes are consistent with those presented in a <a href="https://tasracingcorporate.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/TASRACING-FINAL-2021-LR.pdf">2021 economic impact evaluation</a> on the size and scope of the Tasmanian racing industry by consulting business IER. </p>
<p>But how reliable are these estimates? The IER report used <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-input-output-tables/2018-19">Input-Output (I-O) methodology</a>, which focuses on industry spending. It is used to estimate the direct and indirect impacts of an industry according to the value added, income and employment created.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/be-suspicious-of-claims-the-mining-industry-creates-non-mining-jobs-161899">Be suspicious of claims the mining industry creates non-mining jobs</a>
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<p>Although widely used, the I-O methodology has <a href="https://theconversation.com/be-suspicious-of-claims-the-mining-industry-creates-non-mining-jobs-161899">significant limitations</a>, such as restrictive assumptions about supply and demand to the industry.</p>
<p>For the greyhound racing industry, on the demand side, medium-term projections point to a decline due to falling greyhound racing day attendances and animal welfare concerns. In terms of the labour force contribution, greyhound racing represents only 0.19% of the Tasmanian labour force (433 full-time equivalent jobs). </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A light brown greyhound races on a track" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468900/original/file-20220615-13-mupsdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Greyhound racing is legal everywhere in Australia except the ACT.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Transitioning the industry</h2>
<p>Only the ACT has <a href="https://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2017-44">successfully banned</a> greyhound racing, as of April 30 2018. Compared to other states, the ACT greyhound racing industry was a soft target for reform, due to is size. </p>
<p>In 2017, <a href="https://www.cmtedd.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1075911/Durlkin-Report-Greyhound-Racing-Industry-Transition-Options-Analysis.pdf">only 70</a> Canberra residents were actively participating in greyhound racing (owners, breeders and trainers). And only around [52 racing greyhounds] were based in the ACT. </p>
<p>Australia’s situation sits in stark contrast to the United States, where only two dog tracks remain across the country after a track in Iowa <a href="https://www.radioiowa.com/2022/05/16/greyhound-racing-comes-to-an-end-in-iowa/">closed last month</a>.</p>
<p>Greyhound racing’s <a href="https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/7330214/resurgence-backed-by-regional-investment/">popularity is highest</a> in regional areas where it, for example, provides an important opportunity for social connection. Government financial support seems to lie in the industry’s role as a social hub and as a key form of recreation. </p>
<p>Rather than contributing prize money, governments could instead consider supporting other forms of recreation that fulfil similar community functions – ones that avoid overbreeding dogs, gambling, and that encourage positive well-being outcomes. </p>
<p>Decisions about what this might look like ought to be the result of community consultation at a local level. </p>
<p>The future of Australia’s greyhound racing lies in the balance of government willingness to provide ongoing support using taxpayer money. But this cannot be taken as a given in our changing and unpredictable political landscape. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/greyhound-pups-must-be-tracked-from-birth-to-death-so-we-know-how-many-are-killed-144868">Greyhound pups must be tracked from birth to death, so we know how many are killed</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/184849/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I own a rescue greyhound. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jayanath Ananda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>With the greyhound racing season upon us, let’s take a closer look at how governments support the industry.Alexandra McEwan, Lecturer: Law, CQUniversity AustraliaJayanath Ananda, Senior Lecturer in Economics, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1638112021-07-07T20:08:45Z2021-07-07T20:08:45ZShould slaughterhouses have glass walls? The campaign for greater farm transparency goes to the High Court<p>An Australian animal advocacy group is taking its campaign for greater transparency in animal-use industries <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/animal-rights-activists-rally-in-melbourne-cbd-20180428-p4zc8x.html">from the streets</a> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/29/high-court-to-hear-bid-to-overturn-new-south-wales-ag-gag-laws">to the High Court</a>.</p>
<p>Last week, the <a href="https://www.farmtransparency.org/">Farm Transparency Project</a> filed a case to challenge the <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/act-2007-064">Surveillance Devices Act 2007</a> (SDA), a New South Wales law that restricts the use of cameras and audio recorders on private premises. If the bid is successful, it’ll be the first time so-called “ag-gag” legislation in Australia will be challenged in the High Court.</p>
<p>Animal rights groups <a href="https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/exposing-agricultural-brutality-an-interview-with-chris-delforce/">claim</a> laws like the SDA are increasingly silencing those advocating for greater transparency around animal-use industries. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, organisations representing animal-use industries, such as the National Farmers Federation, say covert footage represents a “<a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-21/animal-rights-group-aussie-farms-online-map-farmers-backlash/10731560">huge breach of privacy</a>”.</p>
<p>Balancing the interests of animal advocacy groups and animal-use industries will not be easy. However, the way to resolve this impasse is not to silence animal advocacy groups. Instead, it’s to make their actions unnecessary by ensuring meaningful transparency in the industry.</p>
<h2>What are ag-gag laws?</h2>
<p>“<a href="https://voiceless.org.au/hot-topics/ag-gag/">Ag-gag</a>” describes laws that can be used to target animal advocates and whistleblowers bringing operations of commercial animal-use industries, especially intensive factory farms, to light.</p>
<p>The United States was the first country to pass ag-gag legislation, with a <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/statute/ks-ecoterrorism-chapter-47-livestock-and-domestic-animals">Kansas law</a> in 1990 criminalising the act of taking covert pictures or film in animal facilities. Since then, ag-gag legislation has been introduced in <a href="https://www.aspca.org/improving-laws-animals/public-policy/what-ag-gag-legislation#Ag-Gag%20by%20State">most US states</a>, and is in effect in several states.</p>
<p>But since 2013, pressure from animal advocacy groups has seen courts in a handful of US states <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/01/10/683847157/court-strikes-down-iowas-ag-gag-law-that-blocked-undercover-investigations">strike down ag-gag laws</a> as an unconstitutional infringement on freedom of speech under the First Amendment.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Protests sitting outside Flinders station in Melbourne" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410057/original/file-20210707-21-vu0eds.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Animal welfare activists have taken their campaign from the streets to the High Court.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Australia has followed the trend by repurposing existing laws (such as the SDA) as ag-gag laws, or passing new and explicitly anti-animal activist laws. </p>
<p>The latter includes the <a href="https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/bill/5acc5468-d528-49a9-bd43-0567bf2284a7">Right to Farm Bill 2019</a> in NSW, which introduced harsh penalties for trespassing on agricultural land, and the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019A00067">Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Act 2019</a> at the federal level, which creates an offence of using, for instance, a phone or the internet to encourage others to trespass on agricultural land.</p>
<h2>What are the activists arguing?</h2>
<p>The first Australian animal activist to be charged under Australian ag-gag legislation — in this case, the SDA — was Chris Delforce, the executive director of the Farm Transparency Project. </p>
<p>Before <a href="https://www.farmonline.com.au/story/4842862/animal-activists-let-off-charges-due-to-technicality/">a NSW court</a> dismissed the charges, Delforce faced a maximum of five years in prison for allegedly publishing footage purportedly taken from intensive piggeries and abattoirs in NSW.</p>
<p>Unlike in the US, the Australian constitution has no explicit right to freedom of expression. In <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/RP9697/97rp10">1992</a>, however, the High Court recognised the constitution contains an “<a href="https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/rights-and-freedoms/freedom-information-opinion-and-expression">implied freedom</a>” to discuss political matters. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/not-just-activists-9-out-of-10-people-are-concerned-about-animal-welfare-in-australian-farming-117077">Not just activists, 9 out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in Australian farming</a>
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<p>After another <a href="https://eresources.hcourt.gov.au/showCase/2001/HCA/63">High Court case in 2001</a>, this implied freedom of political communication was recognised as extending to animal welfare issues. </p>
<p>In the current High Court bid, the Farm Transparency Project argues the NSW law represents an unreasonable restriction on the implied freedom of political communication. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.farmtransparency.org/media/19-animal-advocates-mount-landmark-high-court-challenge-australias-ag-gag-law">According to the group</a>, the SDA unduly restricts this implied freedom because, unlike similar laws in other Australian jurisdictions, the NSW law doesn’t exempt material published in the public interest.</p>
<h2>Failures in animal welfare regulation</h2>
<p>It might be argued even if animal advocacy groups are trying to bring instances of animal abuse to light, they’re not appropriately placed to do so. After all, animal industries already face the scrutiny of police and the RSPCA, bodies tasked with ensuring compliance with, and prosecuting violations of, animal welfare standards.</p>
<p>But, as Australians have seen over the past few years, this regulatory framework doesn’t always work so well in practice.</p>
<p>Recent scandals surrounding the mistreatment of animals in the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/4c-full-program-bloody-business/8961434">live export</a>, <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/making-a-killing/6127124">greyhound racing</a>, and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/7.30/the-dark-side-of-the-horse-racing-industry/11614022">horse racing</a> industries weren’t uncovered in the course of standard compliance processes. Instead, it took covert footage to capture evidence of abuses. </p>
<p>This, in turn, led to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-07/the-downfall-of-nsw-greyhound-racing-after-live-baiting-scandal/7577250">widespread condemnation</a> of the industries and, finally, to <a href="https://coalitionprotectgreyhounds.files.wordpress.com/2018/09/nsw-fact-sheet-greyhound-racing-industry-nsw-special-commission-of-inquiry.pdf">formal investigations</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-findings-show-australian-sheep-face-dangerous-heat-stress-on-export-ships-137598">New findings show Australian sheep face dangerous heat stress on export ships</a>
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<p>Given the failures in Australia’s animal welfare regulatory and compliance systems, advocacy groups are clearly playing a <a href="https://theconversation.com/assessing-australias-regulation-of-live-animal-exports-16427">crucial and neglected role</a> in revealing systemic animal mistreatment, both legal and otherwise, in a range of industries.</p>
<h2>What have they got to hide?</h2>
<p>The advocates’ goal to protect the implied freedom of political communication is not the only interest at stake in the High Court bid. </p>
<p>Take for example the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/business/18recall.html">largest recall of beef</a> in US history, which occurred in 2008. Footage covertly obtained by an animal advocacy group revealed cows too sick to walk were being slaughtered, with some of the meat sold to use in school lunch programs. </p>
<p>Given such revelations of breaches of food safety laws in animal processing facilities, consumers have a strong interest in having access to information about how their meat, dairy and eggs are produced.</p>
<p>On the other hand, those working in animal facilities also have an interest in ensuring their privacy isn’t infringed by activists or whistleblowers collecting footage.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/410088/original/file-20210707-15-g882pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Advocacy groups are playing a crucial and neglected role in revealing systemic animal mistreatment.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>But we should differentiate between the privacy of an individual and that of a business. </p>
<p>Many farmers live and work on their properties. However, there’s no evidence to suggest animal advocacy groups are filming or recording footage of private homes instead of animal processing operations.</p>
<p>In the 2001 High Court case, most justices agreed businesses don’t have a right to privacy. Instead, they saw privacy as something associated with the notion of human dignity. In filming their business operations, farmers’ or workers’ human dignity is arguably not being infringed.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/national-plan-to-allow-battery-cages-until-2036-favours-cheap-eggs-over-animal-welfare-163552">National plan to allow battery cages until 2036 favours cheap eggs over animal welfare</a>
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<p>At the end of the day, these activists are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/religion/democracy-free-speech-and-australian-ag-gag-laws/12713458">filling a regulatory gap</a>. Putting barriers between consumers and animal-use industries by criminalising the activists’ actions won’t encourage trust in such industries. </p>
<p>As Paul McCartney once claimed, “if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian”. Failing to prioritise transparency will reinforce the idea these industries have something to hide.</p>
<p>Rather than attempting to silence groups such as the Farm Transparency Project with laws like the SDA, animal-use industries should respond by developing and enforcing stringent standards of transparency and compliance.</p>
<p>Only this will demonstrate they have nothing to hide.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163811/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Serrin Rutledge-Prior is a volunteer with the Animal Defenders Office (ACT). She ran as a candidate for the Animal Justice Party in the 2020 ACT election. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tara Ward is the co-founder and volunteer managing solicitor with the Animal Defenders Office, a volunteer-run community legal centre. Tara has also worked in the offices of the Hon. Mark Pearson MLC and the Hon. Emma Hurst MLC, members of Animal Justice Party NSW.</span></em></p>Advocacy groups play a crucial and neglected role in revealing systemic animal mistreatment. We need to make their actions unnecessary by with better transparency in the industries.Serrin Rutledge-Prior, PhD Candidate; Sessional Academic, Australian National UniversityTara Ward, Lecturer, UNSW SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1448682020-09-24T19:59:49Z2020-09-24T19:59:49ZGreyhound pups must be tracked from birth to death, so we know how many are killed<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359722/original/file-20200924-16-14jdxqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C0%2C6152%2C4131&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s been more than four years since New South Wales greyhound racing was rocked by a <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2016-07/apo-nid65365_5.pdf">special inquiry</a> that found overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty, including mass killings. Overbreeding and euthanasia of healthy dogs is still one of the industry’s biggest challenges.</p>
<p>A key issue to emerge from the 2016 inquiry was the euthanasia of healthy greyhounds. <a href="https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2016-07/apo-nid65365_5.pdf">It found</a> evidence that, over 12 years, between 48,891 and 68,448 dogs were killed because they were considered “too slow to pay their way or were unsuitable for racing”.</p>
<p>The NSW <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/2017/13">Greyhound Racing Act</a> was established in 2017 in response to the inquiry. The act is now under <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/customer-service/greyhound-racing-act-review">review</a>. One question being examined is whether the industry needs an “unnecessary euthanasia” target. </p>
<p>I believe such a target is necessary. But it would require tracking greyhounds over their entire lives, to ensure none slip through the cracks. Such a scheme will come with a financial cost, but is the only way to assure the public the greyhound racing industry has truly reformed. </p>
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<img alt="Greyhounds racing" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359244/original/file-20200922-20-zalsj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Greyhounds born to the racing industry should be tracked.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<h2>Better accountability</h2>
<p>Ten years ago, I <a href="https://www.animallaw.info/sites/default/files/australia_journal_vol6.pdf">argued</a> for better accountability for all dogs bred for the greyhound racing industry – including tracking dogs over their lifespan.</p>
<p>In 2017, a panel considering industry reform <a href="https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/101738/final-panel-report-february-2017.pdf">recommended</a> such an initiative. It also called for a target date for achieving zero unnecessary euthanasia, saying this should be considered in two years, informed by more robust data. The NSW government <a href="http://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/102165/Greyhound-racing-reforms-Government-response-recommendations.pdf">accepted</a> the recommendation.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-other-industries-can-learn-from-the-failures-of-greyhound-racing-62217">What other industries can learn from the failures of greyhound racing</a>
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<p>I believe zero unnecessary euthanasia, in the context of this industry, ought to mean all pups born for the industry are rehomed, die of natural causes, or are euthanased following an injury – where that injury occurred on a race track where greyhound welfare is paramount in the design.</p>
<p>Research by the University of Technology, Sydney, has demonstrated severe injuries are lower <a href="https://www.grnsw.com.au/uploads/GRNSW%20Phase%20I%20Report%20FINAL%2020170605.pdf">where the number of dogs is limited to six starters</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/15/greyhound-racing-report-recommends-straight-tracks-to-cut-down-on-injuries">when the racing track is straight</a>. These measures would reduce rates of dogs killed due to race injuries, and more dogs would eventually become available for rehoming. </p>
<h2>Counting every puppy</h2>
<p>Greyhounds are registered when they start racing - usually at around <a href="https://www.grnsw.com.au/uploads/GRNSW%20Attendant%20Handbook%2018%20Jan%202016(1).pdf">16 months of age</a>.</p>
<p>For more accurate data, all pups ought to be given an identification number at birth. This number would stay with them throughout their racing career and into retirement. </p>
<p>The Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) is an independent industry regulator established in 2017. According to GWIC <a href="https://www.gwic.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/283381/Annual-Report_FNL.pdf">figures</a> for the year to June 2019, there were: </p>
<ul>
<li>3,747 greyhound puppy births</li>
<li>1,435 greyhounds retirements</li>
<li>832 greyhound deaths.</li>
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<p>The difference in the number of greyhounds leaving the industry and those entering (as puppies) was 1,480 greyhounds. This suggests those who were not retired, or did not die, remain unaccounted for. </p>
<p>In a statement to The Conversation, the GWIC said it could not be assumed the 1,480 pups were surplus to the industry that year. The commission said it recently tracked a group of pups born between July and September 2018 and found the majority were either still with their original owner or breeder, or in the custody of a trainer. It said 13% had been sold for racing – either in NSW or to other states.</p>
<p>But without lifelong tracking, we cannot know for sure the fate of these pups, and whether any have been unnecessarily killed. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A greyhound puppy" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359245/original/file-20200922-24-1fgtylo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The fate of many greyhound racing pups is unknown.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>What happens after retirement?</h2>
<p>A dog may be retired because it is not suitable for racing, is injured, or reaches the end of its racing life. Currently in NSW, greyhounds are retired via the <a href="https://www.gapnsw.com.au/">Greyhound Adoption Program</a> or alternative greyhound <a href="https://greyhoundrescue.com.au/">rehoming organisations</a>. </p>
<p>In the year to June 2019, NSW’s Greyhound Adoption Program reported rehoming 729 greyhounds. While this is encouraging, it’s not clear how many greyhounds entered the program. The Conversation has sought comment from Greyhound Racing NSW, which runs the program, on the total number of dogs in the program. </p>
<p>In addition to rehoming programs, industry participants can also rehome dogs to people outside the greyhound industry. The animals must then be registered as <a href="https://www.gwic.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/297144/Greyhound-Rehoming-Policy-April-2020.pdf">companion animals</a>. The GWIC must be empowered to undertake follow up inspections to ensure these dogs are safe.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A greyhound with its owner" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/359247/original/file-20200922-14-1oq16ap.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In some cases, racing greyhounds can be rehomed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Winning back the public</h2>
<p>For greyhound lifecycle data to be accurate, the animals must be tracked via a birth identification number, which stays with them for life.</p>
<p>GWIC reports indicate it is working on these tracking issues. A lifespan tracking approach will cost money. The NSW government must ensure the regulator is adequately funded to implement and enforce such a scheme.</p>
<p>After the special inquiry, the greyhound racing industry <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-07/Greyhound-Racing-Act-2017-Review-Discussion-Paper_1.pdf">said</a> it was “willing to change” to meet strict animal welfare standards and regulatory guidelines. According to GWIC figures, the industry has made progress on <a href="https://www.gwic.nsw.gov.au/about/reports-and-statistics/whelping-and-breeding-statistics">lowering breeding rates</a>, which obviously helps. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the greyhound industry’s future hangs on the question of unnecessary euthanasia – and targets for this must be based on accurate data. Only then will the industry convince the public that it’s committed to being cruelty-free. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">New South Wales overturns greyhound ban: a win for the industry, but a massive loss for the dogs</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144868/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexandra McEwan sits on the Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee for the Lost Dogs' Home, Melbourne, Victoria. </span></em></p>We must make ensure that puppies born into the greyhound racing don’t slip through the cracks.Alexandra McEwan, Lecturer: Law, CQUniversity AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/935252018-03-21T15:13:54Z2018-03-21T15:13:54ZEasy pets or fast dogs? The problem with labelling greyhounds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/211372/original/file-20180321-165568-wg5xfw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A gambling commodity.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-retired-racing-black-greyhound-666102337?src=Yl6mmRulymypKUCIJ6Mukw-2-6">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Racing greyhounds <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thousands-of-racing-greyhound-dogs-hurt-or-killed-zsmpkpgr0">suffered around 5,000 injuries</a> last year, and more than 900 were put down. As many as 257 animals were destroyed at the trackside, another 333 were killed due to the cost of treatment or a poor prognosis, and at least 348 were destroyed because they could not be rehomed. </p>
<p>These shocking statistics <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2018/03/14/exclusive-shocking-number-retired-greyhounds-put-no-viable-home/">were published</a> by the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, under pressure from animal welfare campaigners.</p>
<p>The League Against Cruel Sports <a href="https://www.league.org.uk/news/greyhound-racing-industry-spin-tries-to-hide-1000-dead-dogs">responded</a> by describing these deaths as unjustifiable. A spokesperson for the charity said: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>We believe these figures disguise a life of suffering and a deplorable end for many of these dogs who are simply born to be raced. It’s time greyhound racing was consigned to the ranks of cruel sports that are no longer acceptable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Greyhound racing isn’t a sport about fast dogs. It’s a gambling industry and the dogs are its commodities. The greyhound is a breed of dog, and one that had a rich and varied history before existing in the public consciousness as the “racing dog” of modern times. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the modern husbandry practices of racing greyhounds are a huge animal welfare issue. Poorly socialised to life outside of racing, they are bred and trained to chase, and under stimulated for much of their racing lives. Many racing greyhounds live a very insular existence which does not set them up for the transition to domestic homes. </p>
<p>They carry the physical and psychological scars from their former lives, which can make it challenging for them to settle into life as a companion. Often they have poor dog skills, an inability to regulate their own excitement levels when outside the home, and are fearful of the everyday experiences they encounter as a companion dog. </p>
<p>It can make life tough for their new adopters – especially at the start. In my <a href="http://www.lifeisforlearning.co.uk">professional work</a> training some of these dogs, I have worked with a number of people who adopted ex-racing greyhounds, only to discover that they refuse to go for walks, can’t be left alone, and react aggressively to other dogs they meet. </p>
<p>Without specialist help and support, these dogs are anything but the “easy” pets some owners expect them to be. </p>
<p>Many greyhounds exhibit a passive coping style, which is typical of their breed. They quite often “freeze” if they become overwhelmed by a situation (rather than opting for fight or flight). </p>
<p>Misunderstandings about greyhounds abound. After the release of the sobering statistics relating to their racetrack fate, chief executive of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain, Mark Bird, <a href="http://www.gbgb.org.uk/news/2/2018/3/810/GBGB-Launch-Greyhound-Commitment">commented</a>: “There were 348 dogs this year for whom no home could be found and our mission is to reduce this number to zero.” He added: “Greyhounds make calm, gentle and loveable pets that are excellent with children.”</p>
<figure>
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</figure>
<p>As well as being a hugely sweeping statement – greyhounds are all individual dogs, after all – comments like this are misleading, inaccurate and potentially downright dangerous. No group of dogs can be simply described as “good with children”. </p>
<h2>Being better friends</h2>
<p>Relationships between humans and animals are built on trust, mutual understanding and respect. Children need to be taught how to interact safely and ethically with dogs. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://doggonesafe.com/Be-A-Tree">Be A Tree Project</a>, for example, is dedicated to teaching children how to effectively read dog body language to keep them safe. And it’s true to say that some dogs will enjoy the company of children – others less so. </p>
<p>But we cannot say that this will be true of a whole breed. What also concerns me about suggesting that these dogs are good with children is the information being used to make that assessment. As I mentioned, greyhounds tend to passively cope with situations that they dislike (stand still and hope the scary thing goes away) rather than actively making a fuss. In some ways, this is what makes them “good” racing dogs – they don’t complain very much. (Good luck trying to handle a German Shepherd into a racing trap…) </p>
<p>Of course, this doesn’t mean that they are necessarily happy <em>or</em> safe. It just makes us more complacent about the situations we put them in.</p>
<p>Also, if these dogs make such excellent family pets, why do we spend several years of their lives training them to perform behaviours that the average pet dog owner would struggle to cope with? </p>
<p>Greyhounds continue to be a vulnerable population of dogs, and we need to be better friends to this breed. I concur with the League Against Cruel Sports’ position that greyhound racing is an industry that is beyond the kind of reform necessary to make life better for these dogs. </p>
<p>My work is about helping society to reimagine greyhounds as dogs. Yet for as long as they continue to be used by the racing industry, our scrutiny and attention needs to be on all aspects of their care and welfare, at each and every point of their difficult transition.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93525/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kerry Sands is affiliated with Hope Rescue in South Wales.</span></em></p>It’s a breed of dog which deserves a better place in society.Kerry Sands, PhD Candidate in Anthrozoology, University of ExeterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/668432016-10-12T01:12:08Z2016-10-12T01:12:08ZEvangelical politics: the rise and fall of Mike Baird<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/141302/original/image-20161011-15662-157xb0a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Mike Baird has announced a backdown on NSW's greyhound racing ban.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Himbrechts</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>I remember thinking, when Mike Baird replaced Barry O’Farrell as premier in April 2014, that the New South Wales Liberal Party had found a safe hand at the wheel. He was young, personable, with considerable experience in banking and business, and respected by both sides of an ideologically divided state Liberal Party.</p>
<p>I considered, at that stage, that his background as an evangelical Christian might even be an advantage. </p>
<p>Perhaps he would be honest and truthful – character traits not often prominent in NSW politics. Perhaps he would be aware of the core of the Christian message found in the sermon on the mount and bring those values into his government and administration.</p>
<p>As it happened, most of my expectations have failed to materialise. </p>
<p>On issue after issue – public hospitals, local government amalgamations, public housing, the lockout laws, and now the greyhound racing fiasco – his government’s decisions have demonstrated bad public policy, clumsy politics, or both. As American voters are finding with Donald Trump, experience in business does not necessarily translate to strong political leadership.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Baird’s evangelical Christianity has had little impact on his administration. Left-wing Christians, who may have hoped for some social justice initiatives, would certainly be disappointed. Neither has Baird been prominent in promoting the agenda of the Christian Right. </p>
<p>His studies at a Vancouver bible college may affect his political style, but not the policy substance.</p>
<p>Yet Baird is a zealot – not in religious terms, but in his values of economic management. A student of the economics department at the University of Sydney when neoliberal values were completely dominant, he has accepted the dogmas of that faith more comprehensively than any other Australian political leader: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>government ownership is bad (let us sell the public hospitals); </p></li>
<li><p>government regulation in non-government enterprises is bad (if the greyhound industry can’t regulate itself, then it should be banned); and</p></li>
<li><p>the unfettered market will always produce the best public policy (if public housing is unprofitable then sell it off).</p></li>
</ul>
<p>These values are a matter of faith, and they lead to a personal conviction of the rightness of one’s decisions which is out of place in democratic politics. </p>
<p>Just to take <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">the issue of greyhound racing</a> as an example, the original decision to ban the whole industry was bad policy because, of the many possible ways of tackling the greyhound industry’s problems, no distinction was made between the minority proportion of cowboys (and cowgirls) who were practising live-baiting and indiscriminate slaughter of animals, and the majority of owners and trainers who were not.</p>
<p>Banning should be the last remedy considered in any industry, not the first.</p>
<p>Equity would seem to demand that if the sins of greyhound owners and trainers merited such treatment, then so would those of the banking industry, the major Australian churches, and the horse racing fraternity, where the corporate sins are arguably worse. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-south-wales-overturns-greyhound-ban-a-win-for-the-industry-but-a-massive-loss-for-the-dogs-66822">revised decisions</a> announced on Tuesday are good policy – confronting some of the worst abuses directly, and leaving the threat of a later ban if significant changes are not forthcoming.</p>
<p>Also, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDj0RJdMAwQ">the banning decision</a> was bad politics. There was no attempt to prepare the ground for such a radical step nor to convince the public before it was announced – on Facebook. It was simply presented as the right thing to do.</p>
<p>The zealot demands that others should follow him. If Baird had consulted widely before he announced his decision he would have anticipated the massive campaign orchestrated by radio shock-jocks such as <a href="http://www.9news.com.au/national/2016/10/11/09/23/alan-jones-warns-mike-baird-his-career-will-be-dead-in-the-water-if-greyhound-ban-not-reversed">Alan Jones</a> and the <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/admit-it-mike-baird-the-greyhound-racing-ban-has-been-a-terrible-mistake/news-story/dee245be9d2a15811c24a0a3b3d4c038">Daily Telegraph</a>.</p>
<p>But <a href="http://www.troygrant.com.au/">Deputy Premier Troy Grant</a> was even more out of touch; his willingness to support Baird in this is inexplicable except as truly inept politics. Did he not consider what his own backbenchers and constituents would say? Do local and regional issues really have so little concern for the leader of the Nationals? </p>
<p>Former premier O’Farrell, in contrast, while also an economic liberal, inclining to many of those same values, was never a zealot in his politics and would never have mishandled the greyhound issue in the way that Baird has done.</p>
<p>One final point. The mass media and the Labor opposition have been scornful of the Baird about-face. To my mind that is silly. All governments make policy mistakes and become aware of them only when unforeseen consequences occur. If they make bad policy then the right thing to do is correct it.</p>
<p>That Baird has had the strength to back down on something on which he has invested so much political capital suggests that he recognises the dangers of evangelical political leadership. Perhaps we shall see better policy and politics in the future as a result. Or perhaps not.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66843/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Hogan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mike Baird’s political leadership style is evangelical – and it has landed him in hot water.Michael Hogan, Associate Professor and Honorary Associate, Department of Government and International Relations, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/668222016-10-11T05:56:49Z2016-10-11T05:56:49ZNew South Wales overturns greyhound ban: a win for the industry, but a massive loss for the dogs<p>The New South Wales government’s U-turn on its <a href="https://theconversation.com/greyhound-racing-ban-nsw-is-looking-at-the-industry-from-the-dogs-point-of-view-62197">greyhound industry ban</a> says as much about the weak calibre of some politicians holding high office as it does about their subjugation to the media, which has relentlessly pilloried Premier Mike Baird about the ban since it was first announced. </p>
<p>Facing declining popularity, Baird appears to have <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/alan-jones-had-dinner-with-mike-baird-on-eve-of-greyhound-backflip-report-20161010-grz9wj.html">capitulated to the media</a> to try to win public support, and avoid discontent within the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-10/sarah-gerathy-analysis-mike-baird-greyhound-ban-backflip/7918862">Nationals party</a> in New South Wales. This is unlikely to succeed: according to a <a href="https://www.rspca.org.au/media-centre/news/2016/two-out-three-people-nsw-and-act-support-ban-greyhound-racing">recent RSPCA poll</a>, 64% of the public support the ban. </p>
<p>The ban was announced in July to come into effect in 2017, following a <a href="https://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/#%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8BReportoftheSpecialCommissionofInquiryintothe%C2%A0GreyhoundRacingIndustryinNSW">review of the state industry</a> led by Special Commissioner Michael McHugh. </p>
<p>So what does the backflip mean for greyhounds? </p>
<h2>What will happen to the industry now?</h2>
<p>In a media statement, Baird and deputy premier Troy Grant announced a suite of changes that would allow the industry to continue. </p>
<p>These include: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Life bans and increased jail terms for live baiting</p></li>
<li><p>A new regime to register greyhounds for their entire lives</p></li>
<li><p>A new independent regulator with “strong new powers” to ensure transparency and accountability</p></li>
<li><p>Fresh resources for enforcement and prosecution of wrongdoers and new resources for animal welfare.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Former NSW premier Morris Iemma will chair a Greyhound Industry Reform Panel that will determine the new rules, and will involve the RSPCA, the greyhound industry and government representatives.</p>
<p>The greyhound industry reportedly proposed <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-11/greyhound-ban-baird-government-confirms-backflip/7921000">a number of changes</a> to overturn the ban including a cap on breeding, and reduced numbers of tracks and races. </p>
<p>Limiting the number of bitches breeding in NSW will do nothing to reduce the scale of the industry. Dogs could just be brought in from interstate, and it will be difficult to police this movement. </p>
<p>The sops to the animal advocacy bodies are that they will receive more money to deal with animal cruelty and there will be increased support for rehoming greyhounds in NSW. But as a recent study from my group shows, <a href="http://www.journalvetbehavior.com/article/S1558-7878(16)30061-2/abstract">greyhounds have significant behaviour problems</a> in the home, due no doubt in part to their traumatic upbringing. </p>
<h2>Industry on the way out</h2>
<p>In an industry already declining, these measures merely reflect the need to curtail its scale in the event of declining attendance and interest. Greyhound racing is now <a href="http://www.grey2kusa.org/action/states.html">banned in 40 US states</a>. Just 19 tracks remain in six states. Worldwide the industry is only maintained in <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/greyhound-racing-ban-nsw-explained/7622052">a handful of countries</a>.</p>
<p>There are a number of reasons why the public has turned away from racing. Like other animal (and human) competitions, these games have been tainted by use of drugs and other uncompetitive practices, such as live baiting in greyhound racing. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/money/investing/this-is-no-slumdog-20120618-20kqg.html">Top greyhound trainers earn earn up to A$5 million per year</a>. There is declining public appetite for an industry that generates huge profits for a select few. </p>
<p>Then there are the ethical considerations. At least 50% of dogs are culled because they are too slow. The industry is clearly on the road to self-destruction in terms of its public appeal. </p>
<p>Greyhounds have <a href="http://www.greenhounds.com.au/about-greyhounds/greyhound-veterinary-care.html">abnormally large hearts</a>, high blood pressure and a predisposition to gastric torsion and bloating. Like <a href="http://www.thehorse.com/articles/12529/eiph-exercise-induced-pulmonary-hemorrhage">racing horses</a>, the public does not gain any pleasure in seeing such animals win races when it knows that it is simply due to physiological abnormalities on the part of the winner. </p>
<p>Public interest in such sports is changing from “who is the fastest” to a celebration of giving everyone a fair go, to enjoy taking part, in line with the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/369-a-human-being-is-a-part-of-the-whole-called">widening circle of compassion</a> that has been increasingly sweeping through human society for at least 200 years.</p>
<h2>Out of step</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/Report-SCI-Greyhound-Racing-Industry-NSW-Volume-1.pdf">review of the industry</a> advised that: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Given … the highly entrenched nature of live baiting as a traditional training method, there is a very real risk that, once the harsh spotlight of this Commission is removed from the industry, the practice of live baiting will thrive once more. It is imperative that regulators take all available steps to try to ensure that this does not occur.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For live baiting, the review recommended lifetime bans for any trainer found to be involved in the practice. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/Documents/fact-sheet-greyhound-racing-industry-nsw-special-commission-of-inquiry.pdf">Overall, the review recommended</a> the government consider banning the industry, or, if it was to continue, make a number of changes to tighten regulation such as lifetime registration, improved reporting and oversight. </p>
<p>Mike Baird was bold enough to <a href="https://www.greyhoundracinginquiry.justice.nsw.gov.au/">ignore his government’s earlier support</a> for the industry, and was evidently influenced by the widespread evidence of cruelty in the industry.</p>
<p>The evidence of this very detailed investigation now lies in tatters. </p>
<p>This is out of touch with the attitude of the general public, the majority of whom want to see the welfare of animals managed better at a government level. </p>
<p>Australia should be at the forefront of world leadership in celebrating the opportunities through sport for those less advantaged, the aptly named underdogs in society, to be given a fair go.</p>
<p>Instead of racing greyhounds, why aren’t we supporting the public to bring their elderly, overweight, or otherwise less-than-perfect pooches to meet other dogs and have a trot around the track, to the delight of onlookers?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66822/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clive Phillips is on the Scientific Panel for Voiceless and chairs the Queensland government's Animal Welfare Advisory Board</span></em></p>New South Wales’ U-turn on its greyhound ban says much about the calibre of politicians and their subjugation to the media.Clive Phillips, Professor of Animal Welfare, Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/644222016-08-30T00:26:52Z2016-08-30T00:26:52ZSince when were liberals authoritarian wowsers? Mike Baird exposes today’s Liberal Party confusion<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135574/original/image-20160826-6599-az628c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It would seem to be the case that Mike Baird needs a refresher course in liberalism.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Joel Carrett</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the major issues facing the Liberal Party in the 21st century is what liberalism means today. At one level the answer should be simple: liberalism is about liberty and the ability of the individual to do as they please so long as they do not harm others.</p>
<p>Consider this statement from early 20th-century Australia:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To compel people to wear a particular kind of dress, live in a certain kind of house, eat certain foods, and drink, or abstain from drinking, certain liquids, are all interferences with liberty, justifiable only when freedom, happiness and welfare of the general community cannot be secured without it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A statement of principle from a card-carrying liberal? No, it is actually a passage from prime minister Billy Hughes’ <a href="http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/10453758?selectedversion=NBD601423">The Case for Labor</a> after he had extolled the greatness of John Stuart Mill’s <a href="http://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/one.html">On Liberty</a>. It demonstrates how much liberal principles have pervaded Australian political culture.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, liberal ideals of liberty have sometimes been confused with other less liberal ideas, in particular the idea that legislation can be made to create “better people” and the idea that efficiency rather than liberty is what matters. These may be classified as false liberal principles.</p>
<p>An example of the attempt by liberals to create “better people” were the various schemes to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/overnights/the-history-of-temperance-in-australia/7717210">limit the consumption of alcohol</a> in the early 20th century. As many Australian liberals were also good Protestants they disapproved of a whole range of behaviours, ranging from the demon drink to gambling.</p>
<p>Liberty also became confused with efficiency because it was assumed a free individual would not squander and waste their freedom but behave in a manner that used their capacities in the most efficient and effective way possible. Liberty meant more than just doing as one pleased.</p>
<p>This leads us to Mike Baird and his actions as New South Wales premier. One should ask questions regarding the extent to which he has acted according to liberal principles or false liberal principles.</p>
<h2>Greyhound ban</h2>
<p>Consider first Baird’s <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-20/greyhound-racing-ban-nsw-explained/7622052">banning of greyhound racing</a> in the state. This is quite an extraordinary policy; it will destroy a whole industry. </p>
<p>That there were some abuses is undeniable, but closing down all greyhound racing rather than instituting reforms seems excessive, to put it mildly.</p>
<p>Why did he do it? It certainly looks like a manifestation of virtue signalling, with Baird attempting to earn a reputation as a “moral person”. </p>
<p>It was a move that will not cause any harm to core Liberal supporters on the North Shore and Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Most greyhound tracks in NSW are in regional and rural areas. I have two near me, at Dapto and Bulli. It is a country, working-class form of entertainment. </p>
<p>This move has a smell about it of “let’s teach those rednecks a lesson”, just as the Liberal Party a century ago wanted to <a href="https://theconversation.com/lockout-laws-repeat-centuries-old-mistake-of-denying-value-of-cities-as-messy-places-58281">control the drinking behaviour</a> of the “lower orders”.</p>
<p>The point is that this sort of policy is not founded on liberal principles. Rather, it is an expression of the idea of “making better people” by weaning them off their supposedly cruel and barbaric practices. But, as former federal Labor leader Mark Latham has pointed out, the end of greyhound racing <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/mark-latham-fears-legalised-genocide/news-story/7fa7b51d05981d86c0e73fb5118a29c2">will also mean</a> the end of greyhounds, as the breed was developed purely for racing.</p>
<p>It is an expression of what French historian Emmanuel Todd <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=eFi-CgAAQBAJ&dq=Zombie+Protestantism&source=gbs_navlinks_s">has called</a> “zombie Protestantism”. Protestant religious belief may have declined but its values remain, especially the hope that governments should act to eradicate sin in the community. But then sin is always what people not like us do.</p>
<p>The other worrying thing about Baird’s ban on greyhound racing is <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/more-sports/nsw-greyhound-racing-industry-to-be-shut-down-from-2017/news-story/deecdec3239d259d9d870b93ebd0a961">the way in which he did it</a>, announcing it on Facebook before <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-14/greyhound-ban-decision-not-based-on-class-warfare-premier-says/7628598">going on holidays</a>. Having made the decision, he decided he was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ-M0KEFm9I">“not for turning”</a> and simply stonewalled in the face of <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/labor-to-oppose-nsw-greyhounds-ban/news-story/db78a7ed339788736ec45f657f2c6b37">considerable opposition</a>. He wanted to be seen as strong as well as moral; or perhaps authoritarian and paternalistic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=386&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/135718/original/image-20160829-17862-181zigk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Mike Baird’s ban on greyhound racing will destroy a whole industry.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/David Moir</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Local council mergers</h2>
<p>The second policy that calls Baird’s liberal credentials into question has been <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/nsw-council-amalgamations-announced-by-premier-mike-baird-20160512-gotczo.html">his amalgamations</a> of many – but not all – local councils. </p>
<p>For any liberal there is a general principle that local matters should be dealt with at a local level, because locals have the best knowledge of what needs to be done. Even the Catholic Church believes in the <a href="http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/social-teaching">principle of subsidiarity</a>, which also means local issues require local involvement.</p>
<p>Amalgamating councils is justified on the principle of efficiency; that larger councils will be more efficient and less wasteful than smaller ones. This may or <a href="https://theconversation.com/do-mergers-make-for-better-councils-the-evidence-is-against-bigger-is-better-for-local-government-56813">may not be the case</a>. If one puts together two inefficient and incompetent councils the result may well be simply a larger incompetent council. It is difficult to see how amalgamations will solve the problem of council inefficiency.</p>
<p>However, larger – and more remote – bodies are most certainly not in line with liberal principles. They simply confuse liberty and efficiency, which are most certainly not the same thing.</p>
<p>However, the council amalgamations were certainly sold to the public as a <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-council-mergers-and-reforms-imperil-local-government-democracy-56014">supposed improvement in NSW’s democratic governance</a>. On what basis, one might ask.</p>
<p>As in the case of the abolition of greyhound racing, Baird attempted to sell a policy that is antithetical to liberty on the basis that it would somehow enhance our liberty. No, it does not – it is a creeping authoritarianism.</p>
<p>Perhaps Baird should go back and read Billy Hughes, who, after all, was the longest-serving parliamentarian in Australian history – and he was on Baird’s side much longer than he was on the Labor side.</p>
<p>It would seem to be the case that Baird needs a refresher course in liberalism. Liberalism is not about “improving the people” by banning their entertainments, nor should it be confused with creating larger bureaucratic entities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/64422/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Melleuish receives funding from the Australian Research Council. He is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Menzies Research Centre.</span></em></p>In office, to what extent has New South Wales Premier Mike Baird acted according to liberal principles?Gregory Melleuish, Associate Professor, School of History and Politics, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/625052016-07-14T11:13:28Z2016-07-14T11:13:28ZGrattan on Friday: In politics, those who are risk-averse don’t leave much of a legacy<p>New South Wales Premier Mike Baird is coming under enormous pressure over his bold and controversial reform – to put an end to greyhound racing in the state from mid-next year. </p>
<p>So far Baird is holding firm, tweeting on Thursday, “When parliament resumes, we will introduce the legislation to ban greyhound racing. The legislation will be debated. And it will pass”, and reaffirming his position at a news conference held outside the RSPCA.</p>
<p>Baird is battling opposition from the industry, some in the Nationals (the state Coalition’s minor partner), and the Labor Party. Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has been critical; Labor senator Sam Dastyari wants a Senate inquiry. The decision could cost Baird, whose gloss has already started to wear off, a good deal of political capital, especially as he adopted a crash-through approach to reform rather than acting more cautiously.</p>
<p>But, assuming the ban comes in, he will have done something worthwhile. And there is no use having political capital if you don’t spend it on good policy.</p>
<p>Baird has been a leader willing to invest in hard decisions. He went to the last election with a policy to partially privatise the electricity network – it was unpopular but voters trusted him and he won.</p>
<p>Taking big decisions where there are losers is increasingly difficult in today’s political world. Federally, it is likely to get more so following the July 2 election outcome.</p>
<p>That result, with a substantial vote for micro players who will be numerous in the Senate, has brought much talk about the need for more “engagement” by politicians with the community.</p>
<p>But while “engagement” is desirable, if it just results in paying most notice to the squeakiest wheels it can mean tough courses are not taken.</p>
<p>The voices crying “no”, “we will be worse off”, usually have a head start, especially given a media attracted to negative stories like ants to the honey jar and a lobbying industry that enables vested interests to buy access and publicity if they have enough money.</p>
<p>A narrow majority, a divided Liberal Party, and a fractured Senate will make the road to strong policy initiatives a very steep one for Malcolm Turnbull.</p>
<p>That’s if he can find that road. Turnbull starts his second term with a very limited agenda. Here’s a mental exercise for him – he should throw his imagination forward to the 2019 election, and ask himself what six significant achievements – substantial reforms – he wants to have in the bag by then.</p>
<p>What he took to the people on July 2 was narrow – in economics, mainly the budget “plan” centred on a company tax reduction phased in over a decade, plus a cutback of superannuation tax breaks for the rich and a change in one income tax bracket; on the social front, mainly the proposed plebiscite on same-sex marriage.</p>
<p>Regardless of the merits or otherwise of cutting company tax, it is not a plan for comprehensive tax <em>reform</em>. </p>
<p>In the last term, there appeared at least a chance of such reform being put to the people at the election, via a green and white paper process. But Tony Abbott pre-emptively ruled out any alteration of superannuation arrangements, and later the green/white paper exercise was aborted after the change of prime minister. It was replaced by Turnbull’s “everything on the table” approach that shrank into itself. Before the election, Turnbull guaranteed no change to the GST in the coming term.</p>
<p>In fact, green and white papers, or an expert report, if handled properly, are logical ways of providing meaningful “engagement” on the way to policy change. Baird’s greyhound ban followed an inquiry by former High Court judge Michael McHugh. His comprehensive report provided a basis for the policy and its defence.</p>
<p>Having solid documents with evidence and options won’t always do the trick – the Henry report on taxation was mostly ignored – but they can help order the debate.</p>
<p>University of Melbourne vice-chancellor Glyn Davis this week lamented the lack of space for “consistent, coherent policy discussion” in the age of social media. Davis told the Australian Financial Review the election had shown how difficult it was for government or opposition “to have a sustained conversation with the public about matters of importance”, adding that “the channels are now so fragmented” that issues raised “immediately get caught up in vested interests”.</p>
<p>The fragmentation of the media, widely defined, and the decline of the “old” media’s business model and thus their resources, mean we have both more and less.</p>
<p>There is plenty of quantity, especially talk and opinion (which are, literally, cheap), and raw information. But there is less focused consideration of issues, and fewer journalists in the mainstream media who are independent experts in their field – health, education, economics, whatever – to get to the nub of things in an easy-to-understand way.</p>
<p>A government’s pursuit of “engagement” needs to be broad and real, not once over lightly and for show. Turnbull’s “mini summit” of three hours last October with business, union and community leaders was basically a feel-good session. Bob Hawke used “summits” as a policy tool, both to seek consensus and to test the limits of consensus, but they represented serious consultation.</p>
<p>Still, it is easier to “engage” with stakeholders and well-organised interest groups than with the general public. Yet it is the ordinary people who are the most disillusioned with and disengaged from the political process, and potentially fearful about change and roadblocks to it.</p>
<p>Before any meaningful “engagement” with them can be achieved (if indeed it can) must come some restoration of trust, now at desperately low levels. This requires, at its most basic, a political leader doing as he or she said they would do, except when there are genuinely extenuating circumstances.</p>
<p>In this context Turnbull is right to say, as he did this week, that the government will take to parliament the superannuation changes (and other measures) that it put to the election.</p>
<p>The super changes are fair and reasonable. The government may have to modify them in the Senate. But to bow to the noisy critics among the Liberal conservatives who are staging a revolt would be a big mistake. Anyway, these critics should be much easier to deal with than the forces Baird finds arrayed against him in the greyhound furore.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mike Baird is coming under enormous pressure over his bold and controversial reform – to put an end to greyhound racing in the state from mid-next year.Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.