‘Lives will be shattered’: Luke Foley promises to visit every track

Leader of the Opposition Luke Foley pulled no punches on Sunday at the Arena Sports Club at Yagoona.

“This has come as a massive shock to us … the first we [the Opposition] knew about this was via the Premier’s Facebook post,” Foley said.

“The decision will shatter lives and create a massive animal welfare issue.

“Parliament returns on August 2 and this will be our priority. “Country towns will be annihilated, the affect on peoples lives will be catastrophic.

“I just spoke to a trainer who, at 55, relies on the income from his greyhounds.

“He has two retirees, two racing, a youngster ready to race and two six month old pups.

“He was in tears. This decision has far reaching social implications.

“This comes from a ‘big end of town’ Premier and is aimed squarely at the working class.”  

There are 34 racetracks in NSW and the October long weekend carnival in Coonamble drives the town’s economy.

“I’ll be at Grafton on Wednesday, and before July 1 next year, I will visit every track in NSW.”

The McHugh Special Commission was established following the ABC’s Making A Killing program and the vision was appalling.

Over the past 17 months, greyhound racing has implemented a raft of improvements to integrity and regulation.

 A greyhound’s life is now fully ‘tracked’. Records once not kept are now finely scrutinized.

“Cruelty to animals cannot be tolerated and that’s really important to us,” Foley added

“Former Justice Michael McHugh offered 80 recommendations - 79 of those allowed the code’s reform journey to continue.

“Mike Baird has recklessly acted on one consideration despite the code having a pathway to survival.”

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