IT’S unlikely we will ever sees statues of former premier Mike Baird erected at greyhound racing tracks across the state, but he may one day remembered as the man who gave the industry a sustainable, long-term future in NSW.
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Depending which side of the argument you stood on, Mr Baird’s decision to shut down greyhound racing in NSW was seen as either the actions of a brave leader with a strong sense of right and wrong or an act of political bastardry of the highest order.
What both sides of the argument must now agree on, though, is that the announcement and intended implementation of the racing ban was a political debacle that played a role in the demise of both Mr Baird and the former deputy premier Troy Grant.
As the NSW Government found, nothing unites like a common enemy and the proposed ban not only forced the greyhound industry to clean up its act, it also united a fractured group.
The industry ran a well-orchestrated campaign to jolt some sense into the government, and ultimately succeeded. Its challenge now is to remain united and not allow the industry to return to its dark past.
Greyhound racing is a competitive game, made even more so by the lure of money.
All trainers and owners want an edge and, historically, a small few have used doping and live-baiting to achieve that.
Tough new laws, which include five-year jail terms and lifetime bans for live baiting, will spook some potential cheats. But others won’t be able to resist the temptation to make a quick buck.
If they are caught, and they will be, the industry must universally condemn them.
And if participants don’t heed the lessons of the past, the future will be bleak.
They would be foolish to think a ban could not be re-enacted by another government.
Animal welfare groups will be watching closely and ready to galvanise support through social media.
The establishment of an independent Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission, recommended last week, is a promising start.
It is manifestly unfair that the actions of a rotten few almost spoiled what is a way of life for so many.
If the corrupt minority are again able to infiltrate dog racing scene, it’s odds-on the sport will be tossed into the dustbin of history.
If it’s not, Mike Baird's failed racing ban might just be the reason it survives.