Greyhound Racing NSW’s desire to hold onto a track in Sydney is unlikely to happen for several reasons, say anti-racing campaigners.
Amy MacMahon is president of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds who was reacting to a NewsCop story about GRNSW’s search for a new track in Sydney.
GRNSW will be forced out of its Wentworth Park track in September 2027 once its leases expires, with the site to be developed for 7500 new homes: click here to read our original story.
“Several factors make it unlikely that greyhound racing will return to Sydney,” she says.
“The community no longer accepts that dogs should be raced for gambling (and) land is preferred for public spaces and housing rather than racetracks.”
MacMahon claims greyhound racing wagering has fallen by up to 10% and that public money will be required to build a new track if that is possible.
“The Drake Inquiry into NSW greyhound racing showed an industry that harms dogs and squanders taxpayer money.
“It would be an unusual council that agrees to a dog track in its area,” she says.
She says the industry’s own data shows that for the 2025 financial year, 60 dogs died in NSW racing with 1153 reported greyhound deaths from all causes, according to the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission.
She believes the loss of Wentworth Park will be a “major blow” to GRNSW who had promoted it as the country’s top dog racing venue.
“However, it now symbolises the decline of greyhound racing and its rejection by the community,” she says.
GRNSW has formed a working group to study all options for keeping racing in Sydney and wants a location finalised by the middle of this year.
WHO ARE THE COALITION FOR THE
PROTECTION OF GREYHOUNDS?
They are a fact-based advocacy group of volunteers focused on public education about dog racing, the harm it causes and industry regulation. Their approach is to be fact- and evidence-based and will publicise deaths and injuries after analyses of stewards reports and industry data. They also analyse the industry’s economics. They are calling for the phasing out of all greyhound racing in Australia.
GRNSW will also lose its iconic Dapto tracks at Wollongong as of June 30 when its lease will expire but the last race meeting was held last September.
In regional areas like Dapto, MacMahon believes dog racing is starting to lose traction with online gambling.
“Much gambling is online now so it actually doesn’t matter where a track is located,” she says.
“The industry is shifting towards larger trainer operations and syndicates so it’s less focused on smaller ‘hobby’ racers. Its nature has changed as it integrates more with the multinational gambling industry and loses its attachment to local communities.”
She pointed to a current local campaign at Orange against a proposed track as signs of growing public opposition.
(The GRNSW late last year announced a new track for Goulburn and Tamworth with upgrades to tracks at Lithgow, Temora, The Gardens, Dubbo and Gosford.)
PHASING OUT ALL TOGETHER
New Zealand and Tasmania’s intentions to phase out dog racing this year has been heartening, MacMahon says.
There are also plans for phase-outs in Wales and Scotland with inquiries and reviews now happening in South Australia, Queensland and Western Australia.
“It’s only a matter of time before greyhound racing is banned around the world,” she says.
On the speed of a phase-out, she remains cautious, saying it needs to be carefully structured and planned.
“The transition plan has to account (for) the welfare of the dogs and racing participants, and reflect local realities.
“While we’d like all greyhound racing to stop tomorrow to prevent ongoing harm to the dogs, each state will move at its own speed when implementing a phase-out.”
MacMahon says that all middle tier governments should be preparing transition plans for the eventual end of dog racing.
“The next state to phase-out greyhound racing could be South Australia, whose industry is under a two-year oversight period that ends this July,” she says.
“With injury rates increasing, and the RSPCA coming out against it, there’s a chance that dog racing in SA will be brought to an end.”
NEXT PAGE: GRNSW REJECT NSW OFFER
