Help end greyhound racing across Australia.

Greyhound racing in Australia continues to face public scrutiny over entrenched cruelty to dogs and other animals — including live baiting, overbreeding, injuries, confinement, and the killing of dogs that are no longer ‘profitable’. Despite years of promises and reform claims, the harm continues.

In 2015, explosive investigations by Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Queensland exposed widespread live baiting in Australia’s greyhound racing trade. Piglets, rabbits and native possums were tied to lures and mauled to death in a sadistic training method that was not only widespread — but widely accepted. Despite public outrage and repeated promises of reform, dogs and other animals are still suffering for the sake of gambling profits.

Since 2023, multiple allegations of animal cruelty in greyhound racing have emerged across Australia.

A recent report by the outgoing Chief Veterinary Officer for Greyhound Racing New South Wales (NSW) has alleged extreme, entrenched animal welfare issues across nearly every facet of the industry, including; 

• Dogs being pushed to race at a “barbaric” rate, contributing to an alarming increase in injuries 
• Overbreeding of dogs to meet quotas leading to thousands of “exhausted” greyhounds being discarded “with no hope of being rehomed” 
• Dogs born into the industry “generally live in substandard conditions” in industrial kennels 
• Dogs injured on track continuing to be killed despite their injuries not being life-threatening 
• An “appalling” level of distress seen in dogs in track kennels 
• An “alarming” number of dogs discarded by the industry with severe health and behavioural issues, many requiring anti-anxiety medication due to “psychological trauma… endured during their racing lives”.

Despite these explosive allegations leading to a NSW Government inquiry, the state’s Premier committed to continuing support of the state’s greyhound racing industry – undermining the findings of the inquiry before it had even begun.

In South Australia, drone footage captured dogs and puppies being punched, kicked and dragged on a prominent trainer’s property. In Victoria, a veteran greyhound trainer was caught live baiting, and Tasmania’s ‘top’ greyhound trainer was investigated for live baiting after the tail of a native Australian pademelon was found attached to a lure arm on his property.

The issues spread beyond our nation’s shores as well. ABC Investigations recently unveiled that Australian greyhounds were being exported to China to be used as ‘breeder dogs’ to fuel its illegal gambling industry. Legislation was proposed to prevent Australian greyhounds from being exported overseas, but devastatingly, the bill did not pass, condemning these sensitive animals to further cruelty and suffering associated with live export.

This industry, at its ‘best’, requires the ongoing breeding of dogs so that the fastest can be used to support its primary goal: to generate gambling income. This means many dogs bred into the industry never make it to a race.

Even the ‘winners’ suffer; they can legally be confined for most of their lives to barren concrete and wire kennels, and are exposed to a high risk of painful injury and death during training and racing. 

As long as greyhound racing continues in Australia, dogs will continue be injured, confined and discarded when they’re no longer profitable. No animal deserves to suffer and die for the sake of gambling money.

Momentum is building to end greyhound racing. In Australia, the Australian Capital Territory has already outlawed it on welfare grounds — and now, Tasmania is set to phase it out by 2029. Aotearoa New Zealand has legislated to close commercial greyhound racing from 1 August 2026, and Wales and Scotland have both moved closer to ending it too. Australia should not be left behind.

Greyhound racing has a long record of cruelty. Dogs are bred for gambling, confined in barren kennels, injured on tracks, and discarded when they are no longer deemed ‘profitable’. Despite years of promised reform, the harm continues. Your voice can help call for an end to this cruel gambling business.

As pressure grows in Australia and internationally to end greyhound racing, now is the time for decision-makers to act. Send a message to your local MP and urge them to support an end to greyhound racing.