A two-year deadline for the SA greyhound racing industry to meet improved standards to combat animal abuse has now been reached, with a final report on compliance expected within months.
The industry has been on notice to clean up its act since 2023, when the ABC revealed videos of greyhounds being physically abused on a trainer’s property.
The ABC’s reporting prompted wider concerns about the abuse of greyhounds, and triggered the launch of an independent inquiry into the industry.
The Ashton Inquiry, led by former Victorian police commissioner Graham Ashton, handed down its recommendations in December 2023, including a two-year timeline for the industry to improve its standards.
At the time, SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said the timeline acted as an ultimatum to trainers involved in animal abuse, and raised the possibility of the sport itself being banned.
“This industry has two years. It has two years to clean itself up,” Mr Malinauskas said in December 2023.
“Otherwise, it faces the prospect of no longer being able to enjoy the social licence and the government support that is required for it to be able to operate.“
The Ashton Inquiry also contained a recommendation to establish an independent inspector for greyhound racing reform to oversee the implementation of the other recommendations.
The following July, former police officer and leading sports integrity expert Sal Perna formally took up the role of inspector.
Over the past two years, Mr Perna, who was also Victoria’s racing integrity commissioner for more than 10 years and led a 2015 inquiry into live baiting, has been delivering quarterly progress statements, the most recent of them in April.
Sal Perna was appointed to the role of inspector in 2024. (ABC News: Danielle Bonica)
In his April 7 update, he found that of the Ashton Inquiry’s 87 recommendations, the industry had so far met more than two-thirds.
“I have verified 60 as being completed,” he wrote.
Among those that remained outstanding were a recommendation that greyhound injuries “should be properly recorded and published by the industry”, and that industry body Greyhound Racing SA adopt “minimum space requirements for greyhound housing areas”.
Recommendations completed, industry body says
Greyhound Racing SA has now said it had completed all the recommendations, including bigger kennel sizes, and a new greyhound traceability system.
In a statement to the ABC, chief executive Brenton Scott said owners, breeders and trainers worked together to complete its submissions.
“Animal welfare is our highest priority,” he said.
“We will work to ensure our greyhounds are provided with the utmost care from whelping to racing and retirement in a loving home.”
Elle Trahair says some of the key recommendations are the last to be completed. (ABC News: Daniel Taylor)
But the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds expressed scepticism.
“Key measures such as breeding caps, upgrades to kennel sizes, were left to the last, eleventh, hour and that tells us that this is not being taken seriously,” coalition spokesperson Elle Trahair said.
“This industry is primarily concerned with the continuation of greyhounds to fill races to fuel gambling rather than putting welfare first.”
The two-year deadline for the industry to self-improve was reached earlier this month.
Acting Premier Kyam Maher today said Mr Perna’s final report had not yet been handed to government, but that it was “due in the coming months”.
“My understanding is that the greyhound industry reform inspector is currently looking at the reforms that have been suggested and in the coming months will have a report,”
he said.
“I understand that the report hasn’t handed to government. My understanding is that it’ll be made public when it is.”
