Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (19:48): I rise to make a contribution to the Greyhound Industry Reform Inspector Bill 2024. Certainly, I have had a bit to do with greyhounds, not that I am much of a betting man as was proven Friday night, but we have a reasonably new greyhound track in Murray Bridge which I believe is world-class. Well over $8 million has been invested, not just in the oval-shaped track but in the straight track, which is certainly another form of racing that alleviates the stress on the dogs as well.
Certainly that has been my experience with attending events in Murray Bridge, and I note that there are tracks at Mount Gambier and Gawler, and also obviously at Angle Park where the big races are held. I have gone to many a race there. We only had the cup there the other night. On Friday night the minister and I were there and we were involved in the presentations. The cup event has always been quite a bipartisan event at Angle Park, the greyhound cup, whether I have been in opposition or government, which is a good thing.
I think generally there is a lot of support for the greyhound industry. Grantley Stevens at the top does a great job, and there has been some great entertainment. It supports a lot of punters and people involved in greyhound racing who do not have the wherewithal to get into the thoroughbred horses. You can see when you talk to them they get a real buzz about looking after their dogs and training them up to see their success.
But, as has been highlighted, there have been some indiscretions and this has led to where we are now. Certainly a couple of years ago there was some live baiting. We had the place where a trainer—actually, in my electorate—was filmed by a drone and someone on that property was caught abusing a dog. That sort of treatment of any animal should not be tolerated. My understanding is the trainer involved in that was fined around a quarter of a million dollars, and so they should have been.
What I am saying is, in the light of all these disciplinary matters that have had to happen—and a few trainers have had life bans, and this person got a life ban because of these quite distinct indiscretions, and so they should have. But Greyhound Racing SA knows they are on notice. They are keen to follow all these recommendations and to get on with the job to make sure that this sport can stay alive and well in South Australia. They know they have got a lot of work to do and they have committed to do it and they have gone through a distinct process so far, but whether or not any more of this legislative framework came into play? I know from talking to the board, talking to the Chair of Greyhound Racing SA, they are committed to making sure they keep the industry in the right frame of mind and the right management of dogs.
Certainly when you look at the welfare of greyhounds, and greyhounds at the end of their sporting life and the greyhound rehoming program, they have taken some quite novel ways to do that. The members of the public can rehome a greyhound and many, many people do that. I think in the last year they said there were 500 that had been rehomed. Certainly it is something that is also conducted through the prison system; used therapeutically for the prisoners. I have been in Mobilong at times to see what is going on for various meetings—I always got out voluntarily, of course. They can hold about 16 greyhounds at a time. They are allotted to prisoners and they go through a program for a certain amount of time and look after these greyhounds. I think it is good for both the prisoners and the dogs. There are a lot of ways that the greyhound industry looks at looking after their dogs that are not racing any more. This legislation was introduced on 11 September by the minister, Minister Hildyard.
On 30 November 2023, the report of the Independent Inquiry into the Governance of the Greyhound Racing Industry was released. That was conducted by the former Victorian police commissioner, Mr Graham Ashton AM APM, and Review Director Ms Zoe Thomas. Certainly, at some of these events that I have attended I have met Graham Ashton.
The inquiry made a total of 86 recommendations, all of which are to be implemented by Greyhound Racing South Australia within two years following the appointment of a greyhound industry reform inspector. That certainly has happened. Mr Sal Perna AM was announced as the Greyhound Industry Reform Inspector in May and officially commenced his role on 8 July. Mr Perna has a wealth of integrity and experience within both the racing industry and international sporting organisations, including serving as Victoria's Racing Integrity Commissioner from 2010 to 2021 and conducting an inquiry into live baiting in Victorian greyhound racing in 2015.
As others have mentioned today in the debate, Greyhound Racing South Australia have been fully cooperative throughout the inquiry and the appointment of the inspector. Previous to now there has not been a legislative requirement, even though Greyhound Racing South Australia are keen to go through the recommendations that compel the greyhound industry to cooperate with the Greyhound Industry Reform Inspector.
The main purpose of this bill is to establish a greyhound industry reform inspector to oversee Greyhound Racing South Australia's implementation of the recommendations of the inquiry. The bill also manages and governs the inspector's functions and powers, the assignment of staff and the inspector's final report and the expiry of the act.
The bill requires that the inspector be independent of Greyhound Racing South Australia and not involved in the greyhound racing industry, not involved in the inquiry and not accept any office or role relating to greyhound racing within or outside South Australia.
The inspector's main functions are to oversee the implementation of the inquiry's recommendations, receive reports from Greyhound Racing South Australia regarding integrity and welfare, facilitate collaboration between Greyhound Racing South Australia and the minister, gather information relating to greyhound racing and Greyhound Racing South Australia and provide progress reports to the minister.
The inspector, or an authorised officer who has been appointed to the inspector, has the powers to:
- require Greyhound Racing South Australia to provide information or documents or to attend meetings;
- enter a premises or vehicle owned or operated by Greyhound Racing South Australia (and this is a bit contentious) or break into a premises or vehicle on the authority of a warrant.
I think we will have some questions about that during the committee stage because it sounds like the powers that are related to licensing matters with the commercial fishing industry. The inspector also has power to:
- inspect and search the place and copy and retain documents; and
- require any person in the place to answer any questions and to produce any documents that are in the person's custody or control.
Certainly, there is a range of offences that the bill sets out with the appropriate penalties:
- failure to provide documentation or information or attend a meeting without reasonable excuse: $10,000;
- hindrance or obstruction of the inspector or an authorised officer without reasonable excuse: $10,000;
- failure to answer questions put by the inspector or authorised officer to the best of a person's knowledge or belief: $10,000;
- failure to comply with any lawful requirement or direction of the inspector or authorised officer: $10,000;
- use of abusive, threatening or insulting language towards the inspector or an authorised officer or a person assisting either: $10,000;
- impersonating an authorised officer by word or conduct: $5,000;
- divulgence, communication or use of confidential information: $10,000; and
- providing false or misleading statements or information: $10,000 or imprisonment for two years.
The inspector is required to submit a final report to the minister on Greyhound Racing South Australia's implementation of the inquiry recommendations within the two-year reform period or at a later date that could be allowed by the minister. I am sure that would be through consultation with both the inspector and the industry as to where everyone is at, and I would like to think that there is a bit of free play there in case there are a couple of things that need ironing out but the industry is well on the way to getting these in place.
Once the final report has been tabled, the minister may set a date for the act to expire. As I said, hopefully if we need that extension it can be put in place so that Greyhound Racing South Australia can do a few things they may need to do if that extension of time is needed.
Greyhound Racing South Australia have made their own submission to the Office for Recreation, Sport and Racing, noting their support in principle for the bill in establishing a Greyhound Racing South Australia liaison officer to facilitate the supply of information and documents between Greyhound Racing South Australia and the inspector and amending section 11 of the bill to extend to civil proceedings.
Section 11 lends to protecting a person who is required to produce a document or answer questions that may be self-incriminating from having the fact of producing said documents or providing answers to questions used as evidence in proceedings for an offence or imposition of a penalty, with the exception of proceedings regarding false or misleading statements. We understand that section 11 already extends to all proceedings, including civil.
As I have indicated, I have a lot to do with Grantley Stevens, the Chairman of Greyhound Racing South Australia. He has noted his support for the bill but obviously wants time for the industry to get used to the regulation and make sure they keep the greyhound industry on track.
In regard to their new chief executive officer, Brenton Scott, he has 30 years' experience in the greyhound industry throughout Queensland and New South Wales. He is a top operator in the field of managing the greyhound industry wherever he operates, and I really commend his appointment within the greyhound industry in South Australia. Between Brenton Scott, Grantley Stevens and the board I believe they will keep the commitments to put these recommendations in place.
One of those reasons is that Brenton Scott was involved in the issue in New South Wales where greyhound racing was banned for quite a while. He went through the process of getting the industry back on track. There was a huge political backlash in New South Wales in regard to the ban on greyhound racing in New South Wales, and it has certainly had a ripple effect through that state and caused quite the political upheaval.
I acknowledge the bill and I acknowledge its intent, but I hope things can be worked through in a workable manner and that we have great work between the inspector and the industry through the liaison officer. I would like to think that we will not get to the stage where we have to have people's homes broken into, even though it may be legislated if this bill goes through unamended, but we will see how that goes.
I went to a couple of functions recently when South Australia and the greyhound industry hosted the greyhound nationals with people involved in the industry from right across the nation. It was great to catch up with everyone at both of those events here in Adelaide. Certainly, Adelaide knows how to put on a show. I think everyone was impressed at the professional way greyhound racing is conducting itself, the professional way they conducted that national get-together.
I believe that they have the true professionalism to work through all the inquiry's recommendations and get the job right, because they know there is a high price to pay if they do not. They know there is a very high price to pay if they do not get this right, and so they know that they must comply with these recommendations and work through the process.
We just cannot have rogue operators in the business, because that will destroy the industry in South Australia. I take my hat off to what the greyhound racing industry already has done, with lifetime bans on trainers who have done the wrong thing. Apart from lifetime bans, there are very, very sizable penalties—and so they should have.
Greyhound Racing South Australia are deadly serious. They want to keep this industry flourishing in South Australia. I know from talking to the board, talking to Grantley, talking to Brenton and others, that they will be doing their utmost to make sure that the greyhounds can be running around these tracks for many years to come.
I look forward to the debate. I know we will be going into the committee stage and we will work through some of these issues, just to get an insight to how far-reaching some of these powers will be, under warrants especially. I think this can be implemented in the right way. The greyhound industry has certainly acknowledged they have had some issues in the past, but they will do their absolute utmost to make sure that the industry flourishes into the future.
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