Government sits on report into greyhound racing at deadly Queensland track
Finally, the research assessed whether current operations and recovery standards met a “world-leading” level for animal welfare (including road grade and surface), taking into account direct feedback from trainers and stakeholders who raised concerns.
The investigation has been completed but its findings and recommendations will not be made public until the report is published.
Q officially opened in June at a cost of more than $80 million.Credit: Q
A spokesman for Racing Minister Tim Mander said the investigation was comprehensive but details were not ready to be made public.
“This $90 million facility was commissioned and built under the former Labor government, but the Crisafulli government is committed to ensuring the facility upholds animal welfare standards,” he said.
“We are confident that the work being done and recommendations will be published in the near future to ensure this happens.”
The identity of the organization tasked with conducting the review would also remain secret until the report was published, but the terms of reference called for a “detailed desktop and physical review” of three runways at Q (the large single-turn runway, the two-turn runway and the flat runway).
“In designing Q, Racing Queensland assembled a panel of leading industry experts to ensure the track was optimal for race safety and injury reduction,” the Racing Department terms of reference say.
“Since opening, Q has faced increasing scrutiny due to growing concerns over animal welfare, placing increasing pressure on the greyhound racing industry and government oversight.”
The documents say the tracks have been designed with modern cambers and a “first-class racing surface” with surface banking “designed to reduce excessive limb forces acting on greyhounds”.
Amy MacMahon, chief executive of the Greyhound Protection Coalition, said the RTI was the first official acknowledgment she had seen of the 11 greyhound deaths, but Q’s body count had risen to 16 since the investigation was launched.
The latest death was Bad Boy Red, who was euthanized after suffering a front leg injury at The Q last Sunday.
A high-speed crash during a greyhound race at The Q in May during one of the new venue’s warm-up races.Credit: Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds
“We’re really keen to see the results of this inspection, but we know there’s actually nothing you can do to make a greyhound track safe,” MacMahon said.
“So even if the inspection comes back and says everything was done as planned, you still end up with an unsafe greyhound racing track.”
A spokesman for the Labor opposition called for the report to be published immediately.
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“If the investigation into Q is complete, why is it gathering dust on Tim Mander’s desk?” he said.
“If the Minister were serious about addressing the issues raised in Q, he would publish the report and its recommendations as a priority to provide certainty to the industry and society.”
The extent of animal welfare concerns at the facility remained unclear; A separate RTI application filed with RQ pointed out significant issues.
This application identified almost 1,400 documents produced since March, but RQ charged a fee of $17,160 for this imprint to access them.
In August, Tasmanian Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced plans to phase out greyhound racing on Apple Island by 30 June 2029.
Rockliff’s pledge comes almost nine years after then-NSW Liberal premier Mike Baird made a statement. greyhound racing ban in statejust surrender after three months Following intense industry pressure.
Queensland’s LNP government does not appear to be keen on such a ban. In July, Prime Minister David Crisafulli described greyhound racing as “an essential part of who we are as Queenslanders”.
The planned publication this week of the government’s separate, wide-ranging review of all three racing codes – thoroughbred, harness and greyhound – has also been delayed.
