Katrina with Greg Katon, Jerrawa NSW and his greyhound Smooth Pearl at a recent meeting of the Young & District Greyhound Racing Club.
Just three months after announcing on Facebook that he was shutting the entire NSW greyhound industry down following allegations of widespread cruelty, NSW Premier Baird revealed an extraordinary U-turn at a press conference, saying the industry was getting “one last chance”.
“It’s clear the community agrees that the cruelty must end but we underestimated the community’s desire to give the greyhound industry one last chance to reform and conform to the highest standards of animal welfare,” Mr Baird said.
“Regional communities value the greyhound industry and we’ve heard loud and clear that they believe it deserves another chance,” Deputy Premier Troy Grant added.
Nationals MPs Katrina Hodgkinson, Kevin Humphries and Chris Gulaptis — who consistently argued the ban would devastate their regional electorates — crossed the floor to vote with Labor to oppose the bill but it passed following a 12-hour debate in August.
Hodgkinson said people in her Cootamundra electorate were angry, depressed and hurt about the decision when the government went ahead with their decision to close the industry.
“I am greatly relieved by the decision today, which gives a second chance to the greyhound racing industry – an industry that is responsible for thousands of jobs and is the livelihood of many small business owners across the State,” Katrina said.
“A new, strict focus on animal welfare is to be in force, and a greyhound industry reform panel will oversee a new governance structure to ensure best practice across greyhound racing in New South Wales.”
“It is terrific news that this decision will see the continuation of an industry that is so important to many owners, breeders and trainers in my electorate,” Katrina said.
“I’m sure people involved in the agriculture industry across regional New South Wales will also be very pleased with today’s sensible result.”
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, NSW Greens Upper House MP Mehreen Faruqi accused the premier of political cowardice. “We should have known better than to trust that he would put animal welfare above his own political interests,” she said.
Deputy Premier and NSW Nationals Leader Troy Grant’s future is said to be on the line in the race for the seat of Orange on November 12.
Baird’s popularity has plummeted from 60 -39 percent in the last 9 months since taking what many constituents see as the wrong move on several issues, including: Westconnex in Sydney, brumbies in the high country, forced Council amalgamations, education funding, refugee policies, cycling legislation, fig trees, outsourcing of train cabin building jobs to Korea worth $2.3 Billion and lock out laws in inner city Sydney.
Baird was quick to admit blame and then share it with his colleagues.
“In hindsight, we got it wrong — I got it wrong, cabinet got it wrong, the government got it wrong.
Greyhounds have raced in NSW for 90 years. The industry is worth around $350 million to the state and employs thousands of people — as well as acting as an affordable pastime to many more.
The new recommendations are likely to include mandatory life bans and increased jail terms for people caught live baiting. Greyhounds will be registered for their entire lives, in order to keep a far tighter track on what happens to them.
“Today is a sad day not only for the thousands of dogs who will now continue to suffer in this cruel and unjustifiable industry, but also for democracy,” PETA Australia campaign co-ordinator Claire Fryer said.
Baird has now pissed off both sides of the argument. The groups and individuals who wanted the ban to be enforced in July 2017 will see him as weak and untrustworthy. The groups and individuals who believed the ban should have never been implemented will still see him as a villan who cant be trusted.
Baird’s backflip isn’t just due to the revolt from those in the industry. His polling reflects a state wide feeling that there is a man on a crusade who won’t listen to his own party or the people.
It is everyday residents who see Baird as a man who rides roughshod over the people who elected him. They are insulted by his arrogance and it is they who have caused his polling to plummet, not just those who are directly affected.
The Labor party were thrown out at the last election with several prominent politicians proven to be corrupt including the now infamous Eddie Obeid.
Although the current crop of the Liberal National Party government would seem cleaner than the Labor party did then, they seem hell bent on intruding on and stepping on the people who got them to where they are.
Labor leader Luke Foley has promised a plebiscite for communitites against forced mergers if elected in 2019. If the Liberal National party want to remian in office it may be time to examine how many of their decisions and policies are completely out of touch with their constituents.
For Hodgkinson her decision to stand up for a couple of hundred trainers in her electorate will now be weighed up against her unwillingness to stand up for thousands of people in small communities within her electorate, in regard to forced mergers.
She has stood up and defended man’s best friend and the people involved in the greyhound industry, now it’s time to stand up for her fellow man on forced mergers.
