The man dubbed the most powerful figure in NSW Racing has lashed out at the former management of the greyhound racing industry, saying there were "no excuses" for allowing the barbaric use of live animals as bait for dogs to continue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Peter V'Landys, the chief executive of Racing NSW, has squarely blamed the leadership of Greyhound Racing NSW, saying they lacked the "will" to hunt down those committing the crimes, as the board of Greyhound Racing NSW and its CEO Brent Hogan were to either stand down be sacked.
The board was chaired by corporate lawyer Eve McGregor and included David Clarkson, George Bawtree, Megan Lavender and Peter Davis, a Fairfax Media employee.
"It is appalling. If you don't have the will, you won't find anything. If you do have the will – you will stop it," Mr V'Landys told Fairfax Media.
The Greyhound Racing NSW board and Mr Hogan agreed to stand down on Wednesday night in the wake of the live baiting scandal engulfing the sport.
Deputy Premier and Racing Minister Troy Grant spoke to each of the board members personally before the decision was made.
It comes after footage shown on ABC's Four Corners on Monday night revealed defenceless animals, including pigs, possums and rabbits, being strapped to lures and flung around a racetrack while being chased and mauled to death by greyhounds in training.
Although industry insiders have said live baiting is an "open secret", and Fairfax Media wrote about it in 2013, it is the first time the horrific practice has been publicly exposed with filmed evidence. The footage was gathered using covert cameras by Animals Australia. About 30 people had been suspended across three states after the expose and raids by the RSPCA and police.
The fallout to the crisis continued on Wednesday with trainers Majella Ferguson and David Sundstrom stood down after being connected to live baiting at trainer Zeke Kadir's Londonderry property. Mr Kadir was featured in the program.
It has prompted public outrage and calls for the industry to be shut down. Major sponsors have already begun pulling support from the industry. Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has also cancelled its awards night, which was planned for Friday.
Londonderry trainer Bruce Carr was also stood down after four live rabbits were found during an inspection of his property by GRNSW and the RSPCA NSW last Friday.
Greens MP John Kaye, who was deputy chair of a parliamentary inquiry that examined the industry, which attracts $1 billion in bets a year, agreed the failure to detect live baiting was a "lack of will, not a lack of capacity".
"They didn't want to look," Dr Kaye said.
Mr Hogan, said yesterday before he stood down : "I am disappointed that Peter V'Landys would seek to pass comment on an investigation in which he clearly does not know what exactly has occurred and is occurring.
"The five people in NSW featured on Four Corners on Monday are a rogue element of the sport. People convicted of live baiting are not welcome in our sport and face hefty fines and deserve to serve jail time. Their actions are not reflective of the vast majority of trainers, who would not contemplate engaging in such a barbaric act," said Mr Hogan.
But Mr V'Landys, who has been the regulator of racing for 11 years and is credited with driving the industry through tough reforms, was scathing about their management, saying it "should have been stopped years and years ago".
"They don't have any credibility. They have been an embarrassment. They brought good people down with them.
"Everybody has been tainted by this cruel, horrible practice."
Mr V'Landys said he set up a surveillance and intelligence unit for Racing NSW, with trained investigators from authorities such as the police and the Independent Commission against Corruption to crack down on any illegal activity.
"Nobody knows where they are going, or when. Not even me," Mr V'Landys told Fairfax Media.
He said GRNSW did not need any special powers; they could follow the lead of Racing NSW and conduct random unannounced inspections at all times of the day and night and all over the state.
"We have done everything within the law and it has worked," he said.
Mr Hogan said: "Just because Racing NSW has a surveillance unit does not mean it could have legally obtained the footage, such as the footage that was aired on Monday night, either.
"GRNSW and Racing NSW simply do not have the power to enter private properties and install covert surveillance equipment with no legal authority."
