Well, that didn’t take long did it? If there has ever been a sport that has been mismanaged as badly as greyhound racing, they have my greatest sympathies.
This week, however, the Special Commission of Inquiry for greyhound racing in NSW decided to join the circus of spin-doctors, making the news with some eyebrow-raising ‘statistics’. I was asked by quite a few people yesterday whether these figures could possibly be true. There were several assertions made by Stephen Rushton QC which ranged from true to downright false, but mainly the latter.
Let me do a true/false thingy one by one.
“Greyhounds Australasia note that the industry Greyhounds as Pets Program rehome only around 6 per cent of all pre-raced and retired greyhounds. On these figures, that means just 600 animals nationally, 600.”
False. I wrote an article about this, in Victoria alone over 800 greyhounds are re-homed annually. Of all the claims made Monday this was the worst.
It treats people who diligently work to get the best outcomes for greyhounds with contempt, and he needs to have the dignity to publicly correct himself. Mind you, it was nice of him to say it twice to ensure that we know he can’t count.
“The numbers retained by individual owners and trainers is unlikely to be statistically significant, and Greyhounds Australasia does not suggest otherwise.”
Both false and unintelligible rubbish at the same time. This is not a case where “statistically significant” has any meaning, there is no comparison between variables or test of a null hypothesis, and I have no idea what the 95 per cent confidence interval could possibly be. It would only be used by someone who is pretending to know what they are talking about.
In contradiction to this claim, the Working Dog Alliance, an independent organisation, reported that nearly 1000 of the greyhounds born in NSW in 2010 had been recorded as retired in this manner, and this figure did not include brood bitches and teaching greyhounds.
A self-selecting survey which is less reliable had over 75 per cent of industry participants owning at least one old brood bitches and retired greyhound.
Further, Mr Rushton SC claimed to have read their report earlier in his address. Clearly he didn’t read it all the way through, or didn’t understand it, or ignored the relevant evidence.
“4 in every 100 greyhounds born each year will make it beyond forty two months of age.”
Physically impossible and flatly contradicted by the Working Dog Alliance Figures above. Any cohort of animals requires a breeding stock to maintain a stable population, if only 4 per cent of greyhounds make it to that age, it essentially leaves approximately 700 greyhounds a year as breeding stock. We know that breeding stock is at least 3,000, so the claim is simply wrong.
“Greyhounds, Commissioner, might be lovely animals but these figures (7 500) seem to contemplate that sooner or later every family in Australia will have a greyhound within their home which has been discarded by the industry”
If greyhounds lived to 2,000, maybe. They don’t. False. The common theme here is basic mathematics.
“So far this year, that is, in 2015, there have been 1,225 litters registered which have been produced by natural services and so far 7,964 pups have born.”
False. The statistics for litters whelped are publicly available on the dogs website. In the pdf ‘NM’ stands for natural mating. Count them for yourself. This mathematics thing again. And this is getting boring.
“Well, whatever way you look at it, it is just not the case that the (breeding) numbers are at a low.”
Unless you plot them on a graph with linear lines of best fit. To be fair, this is slightly harder mathematics.
Mr Rushton SC has basically regurgitated a “secret memo” from Greyhounds Australasia as fact. Within the memo Greyhounds Australasia were trying to justify generating nearly $2 million in annual revenue as fees. That’s why the maths are so obviously wrong, and owners and trainers associations and the State bodies responded by getting professionals to determine the actual numbers, because it was just a transparent cash grab with exaggerated figures.
Mr Rushton SC has conflated internal politics with the truth, and the outcome is that the public have been misled. Lazy by Greyhounds Australasia, lazy by the Counsel Assisting the Commissioner, and would be lazy even if the research was done by a graduate student.
“Now, what I have just said, Commissioner, is not evidence – of course not. My 10 comments and submissions reflect no more than my preliminary views, as Counsel Assisting, based upon the investigations undertaken and material received so far.”
Actually, that’s true, but have you seen any news reports that made this disclaimer, that these were preliminary views, not evidence? Thought not.
On a very serious note, we talk a lot about integrity in racing, and there is never enough of it. But this Commission of Inquiry requires integrity, and to contain so many outright falsehoods in the first day of public hearings is just plain daft.
Simply claiming a ‘secret memo’ must be right when the evidence is overwhelming that it is not is just not acceptable for people at that level of the legal fraternity. Moreover, it actually has the opposite effect, slowing down the changes required in the sport as second-rate managers claim they improved things, when all they did was count the numbers accurately.
In my view, the Counsel Assisting must either correct these falsehoods and specifically apologise to the staff at the Greyhound Adoption Programs in this country, or consider his position. At the moment, attacks on the integrity of this inquiry are inevitable to keep a somewhat aloof legal profession honest.
Aaron
Guest
If you say so...Meanwhile in New Zealand as a result of our work (gplnz.org), the Racing Board undertook a welfare inquiry. The Racing Minister read it's outcomes- And he's the biggest fan of racing this country has ever had- and he said the findings were "deeply disturbing" and "simply unacceptable". So now the locals are being screwed over royally by regulation and things have only just got started.. So yea, we're still having celebratory drinks here. Cheers, big ears!
Nicholas
Guest
You seem to be flogging the dead horse. Public are fine with greyhound racing. I think it’s time to think about been an anti on something else. Celebration drinks everybody
Advocate
Guest
Indeed, because it's becoming increasingly clear just how 'credible' this industry is.
Advocate
Guest
What's Australian greyhound racing got to do with Asia - really? You. are clearly too stupid to be posting on this page, I suppose you like greyhound racing because hanging around with toothless goons makes you feel superior. Try googling 'Canidrome and Australian greyhounds' before you post next time. Despite your assertion about my religious beliefs, I have none. My belief regarding the greyhound industry is that the gratuitous mass slaughtering of dogs for human entertainment is morally indefensible. Funny how those involved in the industry are grubbing around shouting how it's all the self-regulated GA's fault when everything is exposed and yet were all happy to be quiet before exposure so they could maintain the status quo. Now that we do have an independent inquiry they're all shouting about how that's wrong too because it doesn't agree with their version of the truth. Go onto any industry-led forum and see how many of those participants openly write about destroying litters and exporting greyhounds to Asia, where there is no animal welfare. This dog-killing industry has no integrity - I expect anyone with any integrity that was involved is long gone.
Georgina
Guest
Good on you Nathan msome people dont like the truth
w ch
Guest
Nathan Absalom, the Rodney Potter scandal is still fresh in many peoples' minds. People thought that was the scandal to end all scandals when the chief steward, the chief cop of NSW greyhound racing was busted by ICAC for corruption. Now this scandal and it is a scandal despite your attempts to discredit part of the evidence. The two scandals together and it is now more trouble than it is worth. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/17/1071337028612.html?from=storyrhs
kv joef
Roar Guru
" ... it is better for a dog not to be born than to be born into a life of suffering. These dogs are living beings ..." not if they are not born ... unless you think there is a doggy-ether out there or something? i know dog spelt backwards is god and you seem to have a foot planted in both camps as well as trying to drum up business for your travel agency i guess. whats Macau and Vietnam got to do with aust. greyhound racing? --------- Daniel, as i understand it those breeds you mentioned are still used for those purposes, as well as pig-dogs, irish wolf hounds, bloodhounds etc, i was talking about the numbers ... if greyhound racing was banned tomorrow what happens to the 10s of 1000s of racing hounds, of breeding dogs?
Advocate
Guest
... the breed will survive, it's been around a lot longer than anyone posting on this page has - and it is better for a dog not to be born than to be born into a life of suffering. These dogs are living beings, not gambling chips. Still, carry on with your posts and you're all closing the tracks yourself with your own stupidity - it's time to face facts that this "sport" will never have any integrity again - and the sad disgusting people involved in it and betting on it will no doubt find some nasty underground activity to satisfy their bloodlust - why not go to Macau or Vietnam and you can all wet yourselves with excitement to know that NO DOG SURVIVES and suffers terribly before it's killed. I really don't know how you look at yourselves in the mirror, but it must be an ugly sight.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
Go through this link for the working dog alliance report: http://www.thedogs.com.au/NewsArticle.aspx?NewsId=6716 The assertion from Mr Rushton was that breeding numbers weren't at a low, but if you plot the graph the trend is most certainly downwards. I had previously written a detailed article describing what those numbers mean but the link seems to be down, how that was managed, and why it was necessary to acknowledge what happened and why. Happy to send a copy from my records if you wish. Also, your comment in brackets is deceptive and needs to be addressed. To be eligible for racing, litters and the number of pups must be registered within 14 days, they are publicly provided on the link that I provided for thedogs website allowing for cross-checking of the data. You can't breed a litter and then register only the good ones later. Simply put, you do yourself a disservice and lose a lot of credibility when you pull tricks like that.
Daniel
Guest
I dont know what you are trying to represent in your linear graph? 16,000 dogs (that the industry knows of) being bred in 2013 is low? The reference you provide from the Working Dog Alliance does not work, can you provide the proper link?
Lance Day
Guest
Stephen Rushton the Council assisting the commissioner is the same person that assisted Commissioner Irene Moss at the ICAC inquiry in 2000 in the Pottergate inquiry. He had it in for the industry then and nothing has changed. I witnessed it as I was there every day. Lance Day
roslyn svensen
Guest
We used to operate a pet grooming business. It was so disgusting to see the appalling state of some of the so called loved pets that were presented to us to "tidy up". Matted coats riddled with fleas and ticks. Bits of wire penetrating their skin under the matted hair. Pale gums, sad eyes, toe nails so long that they were growing back into their pads. Some of these dogs would have been better off dead! What are the figures on donestic dogs put down in a year and how many does the RSPCA euthanize in a year? And what about pig dogs? Oh but that is another story.
Daniel
Guest
You do realise there are many dog breeds that are still kept as pets even though they are not used for the purposes that the breed was originally used for? Rhodesian Ridgebacks were used to hunt lions. Dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers. Huskys were bred to pull sleds We still have all these dog breeds, in fact we have them in Australia and I dont see any lions, snow or badgers in Australia, yet I do see Ridgebacks, Dachshunds and Huskys.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
Exactly, kv joef, if you care about the animal it's about how to direct money from racing into making the lives of animals better and the biggest pot of money that can do this is taken by Governments themselves. It's a perfectly reasonable position to take. However, while our family might keep ex-chasers in luxury, that doesn't mean I have the right to judge others that do differently. The idea that my greyhounds or someone's horses shouldn't even exist is as offensive as it is stupid. While there are many legitimate horse vs trot vs greyhound arguments, this is certainly not one I am buying into.
kv joef
Roar Guru
This type of argument has been well thrashed (excuse the pun) out here last autumn. but here is the ethical dilemma - if it was decided to cease racing animals; the consequence is that those animals specifically bred for that purpose would no longer be bred. these sporting animals that now have life regardless of how long it is ... would not exist EVER. 10's of millions of lives that never lived for one moment. are anti-animal-sport lobbyists so intent on their bizarre ideology that you would prevent creatures coming into being ... suggesting no-life is better than a life that could be terminated on a whim. Why? because it makes the protagonists feel good about themselves. if these sports-animals live for a few months, a few years or until their natural demise isn't existence better than none and mostly they are well treated during that existence.
Glenn Midson
Guest
Talk about flogging dead horse... maybe flogging the live ones running down the straight is okay by you... animal welfare my arse you can whip horses and that's okay... by the way where do you think the old and slow horses go... pet food my friends... how naive are you to think there is NO wastage in those industries... head out of the sand ...Please...
Rawhide
Guest
Judging by the above commentary, if this inquiry disguises untruths of this nature, it won't be long before everyone turns off. My mail is even some from within are doing that now and it's barely started. If the public are not supplied the straight forward truth it will deserve the tag as a "b" grade movie.
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
Love the article Nathan, the industry has been crying out for a fair go.
kv joef
Roar Guru
Not my industry Nathan but well done. When LIES (a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive or selective information or popularised misrepresented information) are used to substantiate an argument, particularly an argument with far reaching ramifications, these statements need a strong rebuttal and as you said " If I’m wrong, tell me, ..." . Simply put ... lets talk facts.
Joe
Guest
What a great article... It's about time there was some balanced journalism on this subject.