Greyhound racing in New South Wales has earned a huge reprieve, with Premier Mike Baird confirming he has reversed his stunning ban on the sport in the state.
The ban, following the Special Commission of Inquiry, was swift and sudden, and has attracted backlash for months which has hurt the previously popular premier.
Deputy Premier Troy Grant, who oversees racing in the state, also came under heavy scrutiny.
However, in a press conference on Tuesday following a cabinet meeting, Baird confirmed he would be making a stunning U-turn on the controversial policy.
“Today I can announce that the greyhound industry will be given one more chance,” Baird said.
“I got it wrong, we got it wrong, the cabinet got it wrong and the government got it wrong.”
Whispers of the backflip had grown across the weekend, as Baird’s office refused to refute claims made about a possible backdown while he was holidaying.
He had previously stood firm in the wake of protests and political pressure over ‘attacking the working class’, with the shutdown date of July 2017 said to be locked in.
In a previous Facebook post, Baird had also rejected calls to give the industry another chance by following the 79 recommendations made by Hon. Michael McHugh QC, who conducted the Special Commission.
The sport will now continue past July 1, 2017, which had been the date the ban was due to come into force, however strict new laws and sanctions will be brought upon on the industry.
Baird said trainers and other participants in the sport will now need to sign up to much tougher bans for malpractice, including mandatory life bans from greyhound racing and longer jail sentences for the use of live baiting and registering greyhounds for their whole lives.
Former NSW premier Morris Iemma will also head a new independent industry regulator, which will be given access to increased resources to enforce the new regulations and ensure the welfare of greyhounds.
The move will grant the thousands who work or are involved with greyhounds in NSW fresh hope, and take valuable land, including Wentworth Park in inner-Sydney, off the table.
The ACT government, who had previously indicated the industry would not be viable without NSW, may also change positions on the sport.
The Daily Telegraph reported an exclusive on Monday indicating Baird was set to reverse the ban.
Stuart
Guest
Well said Mike!
Mitchell Carman
Roar Rookie
Agree 100%
Bondy
Guest
I think the most prolific thing out of this is Alan Jones holds all the power in NSW politics .
Toby
Guest
With two vegan daughters it's no wonder you have so much anger. Get them to eat a steak and you'll find life much more pleasant.
Davico
Guest
So Mike are you a vegan or just your daughters? Can't go the whole hog and just a hypocrite? As someone else said never swatted a fly? Killed a cockroach? Eaten a steak? Pig? Or is it just about animals that YOU love that count? How many greyhound breeders do you know personally? None, by the sound of your self righteous rant about the people involved with greyhounds. Don't you have a fun police website you should be reading? -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
Mike from tari
Guest
Just like banning live beef exports, people's livelihood is put in jeopardy, I'm sure if the anti dog racing establishment had their livelihoods threatened they would fight tooth & nail to survive, the ABC have a lot to answer for, they obviously do not take into account what affect their exposeays have on the lives of innocent people.
XI
Roar Guru
Funny that another breeder was just charged with animal cruelty and refused bail. Clearly all this is going to help prevent it in the future. You might say that the ban was a solely political decision and it might very well be, but this reversal is totally a political decision. Never really understood the appeal of sports that only exist for gambling purposes anyway.
Cudoit
Guest
You are a neanderthal Mike. Why don't you just lock yourself in a box cover your ears, eyes and mouth and wait for it all to end ? For Pete's sake, as long as there are humans and animals on the planet together there is going to be animal cruelty in some way shape or form. Think vivisection, live export, hunting, fishing, dairy production ( I suppose you only drink soy milk ) hey what about all those innocent soys why do they have to die ! Never swatted a fly, got rid of a rat or mouse, stepped on a cockroach, no of course you haven't, your whole life must be one of divine holiness. Goodness me.
Jim
Guest
Anyone that thinks the original decision had anything to do with Animal Welfare has rocks in their head.
Jim
Guest
Completely agree Will. It is where it should have went in the first place - a strong list of KPIs and other requirements for the industry to meet, but actually giving the industry a chance to reform. If the fools in the industry continue to try and ruin it for the rest that do the right thing, and they don't stand up to those fools given this huge broad shot across the bow, then the industry deserves to be shut down.
C.
Guest
There is a thing called choice in the world - and we all have it. You may not agree with what other people like, that is fine. But others are free to like what they want, and there is nothing that you as some sort of 'moral' crusader can do about it. Throwing insults out like 'backwards brains' and 'plebs' only confirms how far the silver spoon is shoved.
Kaks
Roar Guru
"you can’t tarnish every greyhound racer and breeder with the same brush based on such minimal evidence." Welcome to the new age of the archaic NSW government. They tarnish everyone with the same brush so that they can ban anything and everything they deem too difficult to manage. It's a joke. They're a joke. Baird is a joke.
Sledgeross
Roar Rookie
Way to stereotype people with a lower socio-economic level than your own. But by all means, make snide remarks about "backwards plebs" in this backwards country of ours to get your point across.......
Kaks
Roar Guru
Thanks, I'll keep betting on it with you in mind :)
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
Shocking reversal decision but not altogether surprising considering Australia is the gambling capital of the world per capita . This oversight will continue to compound and exacerbate the terrible affliction gambling addiction has on families . As an animal lover and father of two vegan daughters, I am disgusted that Australian society has still not evolved to a humane level involving the treatment of animals. In many respects, Australia remains a backwards country whereby plebs get thier cheap thrills watching a canine deuced to the eyeballs on drugs running aftrer a lure - talk about bottom of the evolutionary scale . Can't you mob get an Xbox and entertain your backwards brains on that ? Furthermore go and gamble online - leave harmless innocent creatures alone .
MrJSquishy
Roar Pro
It should never have been banned in the first place. The McHugh report is sketchy at best. Every sane person is against cruelty to animals but you can't tarnish every greyhound racer and breeder with the same brush based on such minimal evidence. Their were recommendations in the report that should have been looked at first. But, instead of the NSW Government looking at a way to generate jobs (regulating the industry), they decide to kill it off. This was always going to be overturned, but, it will be too little too late for Baird anyway...
Cudoit
Guest
From what planet did this G'ment land from anyway ? Greyhound racing is a cruel and vile sport and we will close it down. It rocks us to our very core fundamental ideals of right and wrong. Oh, but feel free to keep betting on the ones still running in those heinous states that support this cruelty. We don't want to miss out on our millions in revenue, we don't actually feel THAT strongly about it. Bloody hypocrites.
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
This is probably the action Baird and his Government should have taken in the first place. Set strict parameters and timelines for the reformation of the sport, with significant penalties (including an industry ban) for non-compliance. In the event there is not significant improvement, shutting down the industry would be justified. If nothing else, hopefully this will wean the NSW Govt off its addiction to banning any problem it deems too difficult to properly administer.