Why We Say Bring Back the Ban

What is Greyhound Racing?

Greyhound racing is a commercial gambling industry where dogs are forced to run at extreme speeds around oval tracks, chasing a lure. Behind the spectacle of racing lies an entrenched system of cruelty: breeding far more dogs than can ever be rehomed, discarding dogs that are “too slow”, injuries and deaths on the track and secrecy about what happens once dogs leave the system.

In NSW, the industry is propped up by millions of dollars of taxpayer money every year. Without government handouts, it would collapse.

A Brief History: The Ban That Was Reversed

In 2015, the public was rocked by a Four Corners investigation into live baiting. This triggered a Special Commission of Inquiry led by former High Court judge Michael McHugh. The inquiry found shocking evidence:

Between 48,000–68,000 greyhounds had been killed in the previous 12 years because they were considered too slow or unsuitable.
Each year, around 7,000 healthy puppies never even made it to the track.
The industry had engaged in systematic cruelty, including live baiting, doping, mass killings and concealment of deaths.

A year later in 2016, then–Premier Mike Baird announced that greyhound racing in NSW would be banned from 1 July 2017. The announcement followed the McHugh Report, which documented mass killings, live baiting, injuries and systemic welfare failures.

For a brief moment, NSW was on track to lead the world in ending greyhound racing. But by October 2016, under pressure from the racing lobby, shock jocks, and the Labor opposition, the government reversed the decision. Instead of closing the industry, it was given a “second chance”.

The Truth Today

The cruelty continues.

In 2024, 128 greyhounds died on Australian tracks — 17 of them in NSW, and 5 at Sydney’s Wentworth Park.
That same year, over 11,000 injuries were recorded nationally, with 391 at Wentworth Park alone.
In the first half of 2025, at least 26 greyhounds have died in NSW, with nearly 2,000 injuries recorded — the highest injury rate in Australia.

Meanwhile, breeding has increased, meaning more dogs will eventually disappear once they are no longer profitable. Rehoming figures are routinely exaggerated, and countless “retired” greyhounds vanish.

Internationally, greyhound racing is dying. The ACT banned it in 2018, Tasmania is now phasing it out, New Zealand has announced a national phase-out, Wales has committed to ending it, and the United States has just one track left. NSW is being left behind as one of the last jurisdictions still allowing commercial greyhound racing.

Wentworth Park: A Symbol of Cruelty on Public Land

Sydney’s Wentworth Park is one of the deadliest tracks in Australia — and it sits on public land. It is Crown Land owned by the NSW Government, yet leased to Greyhound Racing NSW.

The lease is due to expire in 2027, but the government is considering renewing it. If that happens, Wentworth Park will remain a site of death and cruelty instead of being returned to the community as much-needed green space.

In February 2024, a young greyhound named Omega Texas was killed at Wentworth Park after a catastrophic crash on the dangerous first turn. Her story is just one among thousands, but it shows the reality: dogs are dying for gambling profits in a public park.

Wentworth Park should be a place for sport, play and community, not for gambling and cruelty.

Why We Say “Bring Back the Ban”

The facts that justified banning greyhound racing in 2016 have not changed. If anything, the evidence is stronger now:

Dogs are still dying and being injured at alarming rates.
Mass breeding and wastage continue.
Taxpayer money keeps the industry alive while public services struggle.

Greyhound racing is not a sport. It’s an industry built on exploitation, gambling harm and animal cruelty. It has had too many “second chances”. It must end.

How You Can Help

Change only happens when people get involved. Here’s how you can stand with us:

🐾 Join our Greyhound Working Group: Help drive strategy, events, and advocacy. Contact [email protected] to get involved.

✍️ Sign our Petitions: Bring Back the Ban

📍 Live in NSW? Email your local MP: Wales and Scotland Banned Greyhound Racing. NSW must be next