Tuesday, 30 May 2023

 Katherine COPSEY (Southern Metropolitan) (13:54): On Friday night I went to Sandown Racecourse and I joined a protest organised by the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds. It was bittersweet to receive the invitation to speak at this event. Of course I was pleased to join the protest, as the Greens have long joined community calls for greyhound racing to be ended. But as I told the crowd, it is bitter because in 2023 we still need to campaign to ban the senseless cruelty that is the greyhound racing industry. Let us all be very clear about the reality: greyhounds are sensitive and intelligent dogs who have the same care requirements and desires as all dog breeds. Their exceptional speed and their hunting ability have resulted in them being cruelly exploited. Racing greyhounds live sad, lonely lives, filled with misery and physical suffering. Most of them are confined to cages, with only a few short breaks to relieve themselves, and they lack the companionship that dogs, as social animals, require.

Just like their cousins in puppy farms, the majority of racing greyhounds are considered to be commodities, not companions. They are commonly referred to as ‘product’ by the greyhound racing industry and their deaths are considered ‘wastage’. At the protest we read the names and took a moment to remember each dog who has been tragically killed on the track this year. It was a powerful and moving moment. Most other countries have acknowledged the cruelty of greyhound racing and banned it altogether. It is absolutely time for Victoria to do the same, and I acknowledge the efforts of groups like the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds working to bring that day closer.