Mike Baird thought he was on a winner when the sordid story of Greyhound trainers using live bait to "blood " their dogs broke in the media. There was a wave of revulsion from animal lovers and this was concentrated in the city of Sydney. It was more of a knee jerk reaction than a carefully thought out action plan when Baird suddenly announced that he was banning Greyhound racing from this state in 2017 and he expected plaudits from the voters.
The problem was that while Greyhound racing was losing appeal with city folk it was still widely supported in the bush. It was the " battlers " sport and for those financially unable to even consider racing a thoroughbred horse owning a champion Greyhound was their ticket to fame and fortune. They reacted badly to the ban.
How badly is now coming to back like the proverbial Boomerang and seems likely to hit the premier where it hurts most - causing a loss of votes. It is also causing a damaging split in coalition ranks. The Liberals tend to hold city seats while their National partners are strongest in country electorates. Polling is revealing a disastrous drop in National support and the party is aware that the issue is this dog ban.
The issue that is causing panic in National circles is a coming by-election in the seat or Orange. Voters go to the polls on November 12 and from a previously "safe seat " advantage support has dropped to just 34%. If that same result was to spread across the country at the next election, the government would lose office.
The lights are burning far into the night in Macquarie street as ministers go into a huddle and try and find ways to mitigate this disaster. It has been suggested that the ban date be extended from 2017 to 2020 to give more time to implement counter measures. The option with the most appeal seems to be the idea of offering compensation for Greyhounds stripped of their racing earning capacity. A payment of $ 1500 for each racing dog has been suggested, with a lesser amount for retired champion dogs now at stud in the breeding stakes.
One of the promises Mike Baird made with his Greyhound racing ban announcement was that valuable land now used for Greyhound racing circuits would be quarantined and retained for public use. The Mecca of Greyhound racing in Sydney is Harold Park and the development vultures have been gathering. There is a strong rumor that the government will quietly dispose of Harold Park and use the multi million gain for other state projects. The government is firm with a denial, but public opinion seems to believe that rumor.
Mike Baird seems stuck between a rock and a hard place. To back off and lift the ban would be embarrassing, but to go with the compensation option would involve a lot of public money. The better option may have been a draconian crackdown on the few low lifes who were giving the industry a bad name. Solid prison terms and an industry ban for life may have weeded out those who persist in animal cruelty, but instead the entire industry was put to the sword.
It seems that the government now has the task of extricating itself from this mess that arose from its own decision making !
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