Greyhound racing will be gone under the Greens, but backed with more financial and resource assistance by the Liberals, the parties have confirmed.
The “comprehensive suite of measures” unveiled by Liberal Candidate Felix Ellis coincided with an announcement from the United States animal protection group GREY2K, who were in Hobart on Wednesday.
Speaking outside Parliament House, GREY2K executive director Carey Theil said he was “convinced that greyhound racing will soon end in Tasmania”, possibly within the next decade.
“The question is how long will it take and how many dogs will suffer and die in the meantime,” he said.
Leader of the Greens Rosalie Woodruff said her party was hoping to secure the balance of power at the state election so it could push the next government to completely wipe out the industry for good.
But Ellis said the industry would remain under a re-elected majority Liberal Government, saying they would look to implement a range of measures “designed to improve integrity, animal welfare and the overall well-being of the industry”.
“The Tasmanian Racing Industry supports job-creation and economic activity, particularly in regional Tasmania … There is no doubt that the industry has had a tough time of it over the past 12 months,” Ellis said.
He outlined plans for an independent Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner, providing additional resources to Tasracing for managing all racing codes and implementing Equine and Greyhound Welfare Codes to ensure minimum standards are met.
$100,000 over the next two years and $250,000 will also be allocated to continue the Cadet Stewards Program to fund three new positions.
“Financial support will be continued for the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) to re-home up to 150 greyhounds per year,” he said.
He said the Liberals would also address issues in north-west harness and greyhound racing.
“Whilst consultation occurs, we will invest $2 million in Burnie, Spreyton and Carrick Racecourses to ensure that racing remains vibrant in regional and rural areas,” he said.
“Additionally, we will provide $350,000 to support the thoroughbred and harness breeding sectors and we will also ensure that funding received by the industry from the Point of Consumption tax is maintained in real terms.”
The cost of the package is said to be $2.81 million in operating expenses and $2 million in capital expenditure.
