A former Tasmanian racing minister has joined calls to end taxpayer funding for greyhound racing, arguing now is the time to pull public support for the industry.
Elise Archer, who served as racing minister and attorney-general in the Liberal government, is now standing as an independent candidate in Clark.
She has made it clear she does not believe taxpayers should keep footing the bill for greyhound racing.
“Given greyhound racing is not self-sustaining and the concerns around animal welfare, with the funding deed due to expire in 2029, there is an opportunity for the government to phase out this code with an appropriate exit package for those employed in the industry,” Archer said.
Her position lines up with the Greens and several independent MPs and candidates who have publicly pledged to scrap public funding through the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds (CPG).
CPG President Amy MacMahon said Archer’s stance was significant, given her past role overseeing the sector.
“That even former racing minister Elise Archer is publicly calling out the industry she once oversaw tells you all you need to know about how toxic and unsustainable greyhound racing is in Tasmania,” MacMahon said.
The coalition has been pushing parties and candidates to promise an end to taxpayer funding for the sport ahead of Saturday’s election.
MacMahon said the industry had pocketed $74.6 million in public funding over the past 15 years, calling it money “wasted” on a “dying industry”.
“Greyhound racing [is] kept alive by political inertia and vested interests from the gambling sector and this election is a chance to change that,” she said.
“Tasmanians deserve to know whether their elected representatives support animal welfare and fiscal responsibility or whether they’re still willing to funnel public money into a wasteful industry built on suffering.”
The CPG is calling on Labor, the Liberals and remaining independents to also commit to ending public funding for greyhound racing.
