Defiant greyhound racing clubs across NSW have joined forces in a fight for survival against the Baird government's decision to ban the sport because of animal cruelty.
Industry leaders are standing firm in the face of last week's unexpected announcement, after enlisting a prominent lobbying firm and a former commonwealth solicitor-general to their cause.
"We are all in this together and we're all going to fight this together," Richmond Race Club general manager Brad Adam told a meeting of club representatives in western Sydney on Tuesday.
Greyhound Breeders, Owners & Trainers Association (GBOTA) executive officer Brenton Scott told them the industry had been "collectively ambushed" by a "powerful, well-organised government" but was united under a natural instinct to fight what was wrong.
He said GBOTA had funded the hiring of government relations and lobbying firm Barton Deakin - whose chairman is former NSW Liberal leader Peter Collins - and a legal team headed by former commonwealth solicitor-general David Bennett QC.
Mr Scott said the legal team was trawling through matters of procedural bias, administrative law and constitutional failings.
"I think we're well protected, well supported, and their enthusiasm is high in terms of our position," he said.
Meanwhile, a campaign to win hearts and minds is expected to be based on the message: "save our greyhounds".
The industry is also pinning its hopes on the support of powerful allies including NSW's Nationals MPs and the Labor Party.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley has said his party will oppose legislation to ban greyhound racing while NSW Labor senator Sam Dastyari has called for a full senate inquiry into the economic effects of the ban - a move supported by federal Labor leader Bill Shorten.
Last week Premier Mike Baird announced the sport would be prohibited from July 17 after a Special Commission of Inquiry report found "chilling" evidence of systemic animal cruelty within the industry.
Former High Court judge Michael McHugh's report found up to 68,000 greyhounds deemed "uncompetitive" had been slaughtered in the past 12 years and nearly a fifth of trainers used live animal baits.
