The Central West Greens were joined by Greens NSW MP and spokesperson for Animal Welfare, Abigail Boyd, to add the Greens' endorsement and support to the community campaign opposing the proposed Orange greyhound racing complex, and explain the Greens' statewide plan to phase out greyhound racing across NSW.
The Greens spoke to media following a community workshop organised by a coalition of concerned residents and advocates regarding the details of the Development Application (DA) for a greyhound racing complex to be located at 32 Perc Griffith Way, Orange. The DA is currently being considered by Orange City Council and proposes to reconfigure the old unused harness racing track into a greyhound racing track, clubhouse, over a hundred greyhound kennels and a 123 space car park and 16 space car-and-trailer parking area.
As stated by Greens NSW MP and Spokesperson for Animal Welfare Abigail Boyd:
"The community here in Orange has made it clear they don't want this socially irresponsible development of a proposed greyhound track, whose plans and community impacts keep morphing and changing but stubbornly refuse to stack up.
"Since GBOTA first announced plans to build a new mega greyhound facility in Orange - at the time touted as a so-called "Centre of Excellence" - the Orange community has loudly and consistently voiced objection to this misuse of public land which has already been earmarked as an ideal area for housing and residential growth.
"The Greens oppose the expansion of the greyhound racing industry in NSW. The people in Orange and surrounding areas deserve so much better than being lumped with a track that will be used to exploit greyhounds, welcome increased gambling and its associated social harms into the local community, and prop up an industry that should have been shut down years ago.
"In the decade since it was almost shut down, the greyhound racing industry has shown that it is incapable of reform, with dog injury and death rates higher than ever. The recent report from Commissioner Drake was scathing, and yet here we are with the greyhound racing industry continuing as if it hadn't lost its social licence years ago.
"For so long as this cruel gambling-fuelled industry is allowed to continue, where the objective of making money overrides all concerns for animal welfare, we will continue to see unacceptable animal abuse.
"Greyhound racing has had its second chance. Despite the hundreds of millions of dollars in public money it has been handed, dogs are still dying at the hands of this industry. It's time to shut greyhound racing down for good, not continue to open more unwelcome tracks."
As stated by Greens Orange City Councillor David Mallard:
"The proposal to bring greyhound racing to Orange should be rejected by our community and by Orange City Council. The site proposed for the greyhound track was identified in our 2022 Local Housing Strategy as a potential residential growth area. With the upcoming Redleaf development on Council land nearby the land has a much greater value to our community as a future stage in delivering new homes, including affordable housing.
"Now that concrete plans for the proposed development have been submitted, it's clear that the claimed social and economic benefits of the track to the community and region were massively overblown. And the proposed track won't deliver a so-called 'Centre of Excellence' that prevents the harms and risks associated with the existing greyhound industry - in fact, it would barely meet the minimum standards set for the industry.
"I've argued from the outset that the proposal to hand this site over to greyhound racing is against our community's interest and that the arguments for bringing a track to Orange don't stack up. Now that the Development Application is under consideration, I encourage community members to engage with the proposal and voice their concerns about the problems with the plans to give the greyhound industry a track in our city."
