Qld racing industry turned blind eye

Queensland's premier will detail her response to an inquiry's scathing report calling for the state's racing industry to be overhauled.

Greyhounds

(AAP) Source: Press Association

An integrity commission and public database on breeding and ownership are two key recommendations to clean up Queensland's greyhound industry which "completely failed" to deal with animal cruelty.

The industry has turned a blind eye to greyhound live baiting and needs to be overhauled, Alan MacSporran QC said following a Commission of Inquiry into the sport.

"The current model is flawed," Mr MacSporran wrote in his 180-page report handed down on Monday.

The findings offer 15 recommendations to fix Queensland Racing after the live-baiting scandal.

Mr MacSporran said he had uncovered systemic failure in Racing Queensland's oversight processes and its ability to deal with animal cruelty.

"There was complete failure," he said.

Submissions detailed live-baiting as well as claims dogs have been shot, hanged and electrocuted because they couldn't run fast enough.

But Queensland Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association president Tony Zammit has labelled live baiting and other animal abuse claims as "a load of crap".

Mr Zammit insisted greyhounds were treated with respect and accused animal liberationists and the media of deliberately targeting the industry to have it shut down.

"Where are all these people (activists) when the RSPCA put all these animals down - dogs and cats - that they can't give away?" he told ABC Radio.

"Why aren't they out there complaining about halal meat and things like that?"

Mr MacSporran said the major change needed was for a new body, the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, to be urgently established to act independently from the organisation's commercial arm to avoid conflicts of interest.

"Public confidence may have been dealt an almost terminal blow by the exposure of what is likely to have been a widespread practice of live baiting in the greyhound racing industry," Mr MacSporran wrote.

He said over-breeding in the industry also resulted in "an unacceptable level of wastage" - culling - indicating about 30 per cent of greyhound pups born between 2003 and 2013 were unaccounted for.

He also called for a public database of information about all dogs that includes details about their birth, transfer of ownership and injuries.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has promised "swift and decisive action" and will reply to the report in parliament on Tuesday.

RSPCA Queensland has welcomed the findings, saying they would help hold the industry accountable and prevent "the appalling wastage of animals".

"The Commission of Inquiry has proved that the industry needs a fairly drastic overhaul," CEO Mark Townend said.

Racing Queensland chairman Kevin Dixon said the organisation supported the overarching recommendation to separate its commercial and integrity arms.

"Now the report has been handed down, we look forward to working closely with the state government to implement its actions," he said.

So far, 23 people have been charged with 65 offences as part of a police investigation into live-baiting and other instances of animal cruelty in the state.


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Source: AAP


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