Questions for GRNSW. - What measures have you as the regulator taken to ensure that greyhound racing has integrity?

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Joel Flynn
5 years ago
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1 Questions for GRNSW - What measures have you as the regulator taken to ensure that greyhound racing has integrity? Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) is dedicated to ensuring its integrity services are at the forefront of the wagering industry - not just in Australia, but across the world. Remaining at the forefront of integrity developments is central to the ongoing success of greyhound racing in NSW and as such, the integrity measures GRNSW have put in place over the recent years have set a new benchmark for greyhound racing in Australia. GRNSW once again led the way in drug detection by conducting a record number of swabs in 2013/14. A total of 5,719 swabs were carried out by GRNSW, which was nearly a 3% increase on the previous year s total, and was the highest level of any greyhound racing jurisdiction in Australia. Compared to 10 years ago, the number of swabs conducted in a 12 month period has increased by more than 75%. Drug Analysis and Testing Year Declared Positives % of positives No. of samples , , , , , ,719 GRNSW has a clearly defined swabbing policy that meets with industry best practice. The policy sets out GRNSW s intelligence based approach to swabbing including factors relating to form, precedent, performance, status of the race and prizemoney that automatically require a greyhound to be swabbed. Supplementing GRNSW s best practice swabbing policy is the forensic analysis procedures conducted at the Australian Racing Forensics Laboratory (ARFL), which is owned and operated by Racing NSW. The ARFL s methodology for drug testing is accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities and internationally recognised for its expertise in drug detection in both horse racing and greyhound racing. To ensure GRNSW remains the industry leader in drug detection, a further increase has been committed to the drug detection budget, with a total of $1.2m allocated to it in 2014/15. This is in line with GRNSWs support of the Legislative Council Select Committee recommendation within the recent parliamentary inquiry to increase the number of swabs, with GRNSW strongly committed to working with government to achieve this. In the pursuit of best practice integrity measures, GRNSW has established a control room at its head office in Rhodes which receives live feeds of the race broadcast footage, surveillance footage from the kennel blocks and state of the art video conferencing equipment. The control room an Australian-first approach to stewarding - has allowed GRNSW to improve the oversight of greyhound racing in the state to unprecedented levels by making best use of technology. Specifically, the control room has enhanced integrity services by allowing for advanced monitoring of betting trends, early identification of potential incidents, detailed post meeting reviews and one central contact point for race day operational matters. It also reflects 1

2 modern wagering practices which have shifted from on-course to off-course wagering operators. Extensive licensing and compliance measures are enforced by GRNSW to ensure the integrity of the sport is maintained. Licensing requirements for participants of the sport - including mandatory criteria and declarations, paperwork requirements and submission timeframes - are defined and outlined in the Greyhound Racing Rules and are in place to uphold the competency of all individuals participating in the sport. All participants, with the exception of owners which are registered with GRNSW must be licensed in order to participate in the sport. Individuals applying for an owner trainer or public trainer licence must also have a kennel inspection before being granted a licence, to ensure their kennels meet the minimum standards as outlined under the GRNSW Code of Practice for the keeping of greyhounds in training. Applicants for these licence categories are also required to undertake a short examination with a compliance officer, which tests their greyhound knowledge across a number of areas, including the GRNSW Code of Practice for the keeping of greyhounds in training, Greyhound Racing Rules and race day procedures. - What is your response to the allegation that doping is endemic in the sport? GRNSW refutes the allegation that doping is endemic in the sport. A combination of the highest drug detection levels of any greyhound racing jurisdiction in Australia, implemented using a best practice swabbing policy and internationally recognised testing procedures, has ensured that GRNSW remains at the forefront of drug detection. In 2013/14, this led to 53 returned positive results for prohibited substances. - How many integrity officers are employed by your organisation? GRNSW employs 18 integrity officers. - Please list prohibited substances (including testosterone) and the thresholds that are set? As defined by the Greyhound Racing Rules, a prohibited substance is: a) any substance capable of affecting a greyhound by its action on the central or peripheral nervous system or any part of that system such as the autonomic nervous system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, alimentary digestive system, musculoskeletal system, genitourinary or endocrine system and includes without limitation analgesics, antihistamines, anti-inflammatory agents, blood coagulants, diuretics, hormones and their synthetic counterparts, stimulants, corticosteroids, anabolic steroids, local anaesthetics, muscle relaxants and tranquillisers; b) any substance administered to disguise or make undetectable, or attempt to disguise or make undetectable, the administration of any of the substance(s) referred to in paragraph (a); c) a metabolite, isomer or artefact of any of the substance(s) referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) or (e) irrespective of whether or not such metabolite, isomer or artefact has any pharmacological effect; (amended ) d) unusual or abnormal amounts of endogenous substance(s) including but not limited to cortisol and testosterone; e) any substance(s) specified in Schedules 1 to 9 inclusive of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (Commonwealth) as amended from time to time. 2

3 - How many greyhounds are bred per year in your state for racing? In 2013/14, a total of 7,760 greyhounds were born in litters registered by GRNSW. - How many of those subsequently go on to race and how many are deemed as wastage per year? Approximately 70% of pups born go on to race. - How many greyhounds were successfully adopted out of the GAP program last year? Figures below are for the calendar year: How many dogs failed the GAP temperament test last year? Figures below are for the calendar year: How many sanctions have you imposed for live baiting in the last decade? In the past year alone, GRNSW has referred 4 cases to RSPCA NSW relating to participants partaking in live baiting or associated activities. What is of principle concern is the degree to which GRNSW has been severely hamstrung by legislative peculiarities in enforcing live baiting sanctions. As highlighted by the Select Committee s first report into Greyhound Racing in NSW, section 21 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 inadequately allows for the prosecution of live baiting offenders. The committee found that without amendment, numerous instances have occurred where authorities could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the trialling, training or racing of greyhounds occurred at a property where animals of a prescribed species had been found. As such, GRNSW and other relevant prosecuting authorities, including the RSPCA NSW and Police, have been unable to penalise relevant individuals. As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between GRNSW and the RSPCA NSW, GRNSW has referred numerous live baiting cases onto the relevant prosecuting authorities upon the discovery of evidence. As of yet, it is our understanding that these cases have not been progressed and none have resulted in a prosecution. This can be attributed to the limitations of the Act, further emphasising the inadequacy of legislation on live baiting. The above mentioned legislative limitations are compounded by the fact that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 carries the primary criminal charge for offenders, resulting in the inability to sanction relevant parties under the Greyhound Racing Rules if criminal evidence is found to be insubstantial. This further restricts the ability of GRNSW to impose sanctions on offenders, with stewards fettered by inadequate powers for investigation, search and seizure as the criminality of the matters meaning that the RSPCA NSW and Police must lead any investigations. As such, GRNSW has requested within our submission to the current Greyhound Racing Act 2009 review that this is addressed in the form of an expansion of powers. 3

4 Due to the clear restrictions outlined above, GRNSW has fully supported the Select Committee s recommendation to amend section 21 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and is now consulting with the Department of Primary Industries to ensure kennels is included in the legislation. - What is the position of your organisation on the use of live animals in the training of greyhounds? GRNSW considers all issues concerning animal welfare with the upmost importance. As a result, GRNSW strongly condemns the act of live baiting. Any registered participant found engaging in live baiting is not welcome in the sport and will face an extensive ban from participating in any aspect of greyhound racing in NSW. - If live baiting is proven to be occurring in your state, what does GRNSW plan to do, what action will be taken? Live baiting is illegal under the Greyhound Racing Rules and the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals Act, with anyone found guilty of the offence facing up to five years in jail and a $22,000 fine under the Act. GRNSW has a MOU with RSPCA NSW which has a number of agreed principles that relate to the care, welfare and training methods of racing greyhounds as well as the regulation of race meetings that ensure the safety and well-being of greyhounds. Under the responsibilities of the MOU, GRNSW and RSPCA NSW assist and accompany each other in connection with inspections or investigations of greyhound kennels, breeders and trainers, as well as any animal welfare issues relating to the greyhound racing industry. As mentioned previously, GRNSW has been proactively investigating claims of live baiting and has referred a number of cases to RSPCA NSW under the MOU. Furthermore, in January of this year, GRNSW undertook an expansion of its Education and Welfare unit. As a result, a new team of four compliance officers was formed with the purpose of conducting regular inspections of greyhound properties to ensure participants are complying with the code of practice. In addition to the above, the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Greyhound Racing in NSW recommended that the NSW Government review section 21 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 so that the relevant section included kennels. The committee found that without the amendment, numerous instances have occurred where authorities could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the trialling, training or racing of greyhounds occurred at a property where animals of a prescribed species had been found. The NSW Government and GRNSW supported this recommendation in full and GRNSW is now consulting with the Department of Primary Industries to ensure kennels is included in the legislation. - In light of the allegations of doping and live baiting, can GRNSW be sure that races scheduled for tonight, tomorrow and the immediate future are fairly run? What of past races? A combination of the highest drug detection levels of any greyhound racing jurisdiction in Australia, implemented using a best practice swabbing policy and internationally recognised testing procedures has ensured that GRNSW remains at the forefront of drug detection. This expertise provides GRNSW and all stakeholders with confidence in the integrity and fairness of greyhound racing in NSW. 4

5 In particular reference to past races, laboratories utilised by GRNSW have the capacity to freeze samples and backdate tests as new illicit substances are detected, thus further deterring participants from misconduct. - Can the regulator ensure that all greyhounds running in the state have not been trained using illegal techniques? As outlined above, GRNSW is committed to continually increase the investment in integrity measures to maintain the confidence of all stakeholders in the code. - If dogs have been trained using illegal and/or banned methods, what sanctions will the regulator apply? Will prize money be returned? Any trainer whose greyhound has had a prohibited substance detected in it shall be guilty of an offence under the Greyhound Racing Rules and will be sanctioned accordingly by means of one or more of the following: disqualification, suspension, fine and the return of prize money. In regards to live baiting, it is illegal under the Greyhound Racing Rules and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, with anyone found guilty of the offence facing up to five years in jail and a $22,000 fine under the Act. In addition, any registered participant found engaging in live baiting is not welcome in the sport and will face an extensive ban from participating in any aspect of greyhound racing in NSW, in addition to a hefty fine issued by GRNSW. 5

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