More than 1,000 Tasmanians have signed an open letter urging the Legislative Council to support a bill to end greyhound racing when it comes to a final vote this week.
RSPCA Tasmania says the letter contains 1,013 signatures and is believed to be the largest of its kind in the state’s political history.
The signatories span the political spectrum, including former governor Kate Warner, former Liberal premier Will Hodgman and former Labor premier David Bartlett.
Former Greens leaders Bob Brown and Christine Milne have also signed, along with economist Saul Eslake and actors Marta Dusseldorp, Luke McGregor, Bonnie Sveen and Ben Winspear.
RSPCA Tasmania chief executive Andrea Dawkins said each signature carried equal weight.
“It’s fantastic to have so many high-profile names on board, but the reality is the voice of every single person who has signed this letter is equal and sends such a powerful collective message to the Legislative Council,” Dawkins said.
Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary director Greg Irons, who helped lead the campaign, said the response had been overwhelming.
“I wanted to do this because so many people have approached me, as an ambassador against greyhound racing, to voice their support and quite frankly, anger that not only does dog racing continue, but that their hard-earned tax dollars support it,” Irons said.
“When we put the call out over 800 people responded in 20 hours and there were many many more who reached out after the deadline.”
Irons said the response reflected strong public sentiment.
“It speaks volumes how much people care about this issue,” he said.
“In fact, a lot of people thought the ban had already been decided and were horrified there was still a chance dog racing could continue.”
“There are very few issues I have ever encountered where there is such a clear majority of people all agreeing enough is enough.”
The letter says greyhound racing has “lost its social licence” and notes Scotland and Wales have both banned the sport in the past month.
It also points to a vote in New Zealand’s parliament this month, where MPs backed a phase-out of the industry 112-11.
“In contrast, if this bill is defeated, greyhound racing will continue in Tasmania well into the 2030s and beyond,” the letter says.
Greyhounds Tasmania has opposed the move, arguing it has been made without proper consultation.
The organisation says no advice was sought from regulators and there has been “no economic analysis, no animal welfare reports and no evidence of a recent loss of social license” to justify the proposal.
The Legislative Council is expected to hold its final vote this week.
