The Tasmanian government will set aside almost $5 million to compensate greyhound racing participants as it moves to shut the industry down by 2029 – a fraction of the $125 million the sector had sought.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff confirmed the figure on Sunday while opening a redeveloped Greyhounds as Pets facility north of Hobart.
He said $4.8 million would be included in the upcoming budget to allow participants to “exit the industry with dignity”.
Rockliff rejected the industry’s $125 million claim, saying it “will not be happening”.
Racing Integrity Commissioner Sean Carroll will design the framework, taking into account “industry’s needs, individual circumstances as well as investments that individuals have made”, Rockliff said.
The announcement comes as divisions within Tasmanian Labor over the ban again spill into public view.
Former Labor premier David Bartlett recently wrote that he was “ashamed” of his party’s opposition to the ban, describing it as being on the “wrong side of history” and “emblematic” of Labor’s “inability to change”.
Bartlett told the ABC in recent days the position was “bizarre”.
“Unfortunately, choosing to die on the hill of protecting a dying industry that has very few jobs and very little economic contribution to Tasmania and, as we all know, is cruel to dogs, seems like a bizarre place for us to be planting our flag as the Labor Party going forward,” he said.
Rockliff urged Labor leader Josh Willie to grant his upper house members a conscience vote, saying the industry had “lost its social license” and pointing to closures in New Zealand, Scotland and Wales.
Willie told the ABC his party was “developing a plan that Tasmanians can get behind” ahead of 2029.
“We will be different to the Liberal Party at the next election,” he said.
The $2.8 million redevelopment of the Greyhounds as Pets site nearly doubles its capacity, from 27 dogs to 46.
More than 100 greyhounds were rehomed through the program last financial year and another 100 have already been adopted this financial year.
Racing Minister Jane Howlett said the government was committed to “a fair and orderly transition” that kept animal welfare at the centre.
The Legislative Council is expected to debate the bill in the coming days.
