Like Michael, I too am angry (no .... make that INCENSED!) at today's events.

I will add that it involves as-yet unidentified 'substances' sent via mail to at least 3 separate addresses in the Churchable area... one (which I assume to be the same as Michael is referring to) is a family that is NOT subject to the current 'baiting' enquiries.

Quite rightly, police have been alerted and are investigating.

Absolutely deplorable to say the least. I hope the culprits are found and face the full force of the law.

A reminder for all Qld participants, as above.

I'm of the understanding Greg has been found guilty of a (significantly) lesser charge of using an unlicensed trial track, and was handed a 1 month suspension.

In my opinion, surely seems a (currently isolated 'win') for common sense.

Hopefully a sign of things to come.

But as the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and actions speak louder than words. People will be continuing to watch closely as further matters will now play out later this week. And make no mistake; those in positions of most responsibility and power will continue to be scrutinized and looked upon, especially if they have the fortitude (and good sense) to work towards recovering the faith and trust of our state's thousands of participants.

The challenge is set, and the ball is in their court!

Catchy little tune ... Came into my head and another owner and I seem to have been singing it over and over again since last night... ;-)

Anthony, hate to be Mr Negative, but as you know I have been saying the sport has been at a tipping point for a long time. Well, it's just about tipped!

Cronulla park needed to be built, the industry needed to get their fair share of turnover, we needed to attract youth to the sport, we needed a marketing strategy, a comprehensive breeding incentive scheme, improvements to compliance, and Greyhound Welfare to be at the forefront of everything we do.

What has happened, prize money was increased, what else? But nobody can explain where the rest of the money has gone. Greyhounds should be receiving approx. $17.4m annually, anyone who thinks this has all gone into a prize money increase, also believes in Santa Claus.

Where's the press releases from RQL with regards to Cronulla Park? The current Gov't approved it, lost power, the previous Gov't approved it, lost power; The Logan Council approved the DA and development, the Mayor of Logan had the anti's change her mind 18 months ago, and decided she was against it. Now their using the current issues to justify not building it.

Hello, you were against it before the current issue, it is a small percentage of the industry caught up in the current issues, and is no justification for penalising the rest of the industry who do the right thing.

The current Gov't and RQL have a responsibility and duty or care to the greyhound industry, but by the silence, they are allowing irrecoverable damage to occur to the greyhound product from which it may never recover.

What message does that send to participants who are doing the right thing? Yet have to endure the current shame of the industry and having to defend themselves, because RQL has done nothing to ensure a balanced view is put across to the general public.

As I said in another post if this was either of the other two codes, there would be 2 positive for every negative piece.

We have had no idea what RQ was doing, though we asked often enough. Obviously nothing for the Greyhounds. Every move was secretly done, some items revealed after they were implemented like the money divied out to the thoroughbreds ahead of Logan. Even our representatives were kept in the dark.

We need to be on our own which shouldn't be hard since RQ has not built Logan and therefore not completed its contract which was to bring about their existence.

Firstly, let's begin by having a read of these related news articles:

EXTERNAL LINK

EXTERNAL LINK

Then this from last week:

EXTERNAL LINK

and a bit of interstate news just in, overnight:

EXTERNAL LINK

Now let's move along, and why not play a little game of "Spot the Difference":

So would one be right to assume:

* We can we now expect mass seizures of thoroughbreds and harness horses will be undertaken?

* That several pregnant mares will be forcibly removed from their owners' or Trainers' care? With no right to relocate them, of course?

* That foals as young as a few months of age will then be removed from their mothers' sides, even if that may be to their detriment and risk their wellbeing and welfare?

* There'll be mass Trainer suspensions?

* That in every case, a 'presumption of guilt' rather than of innocence will be applied in all suspected cases?

* That there'll arbitrarily be several million dollars sliced off prizemoney AND relevant bonus schemes, to investigate and address the "rife" use of Cobalt in both horse codes?

* That all horses from all stables of implicated Trainers are being stood down immediately and indefinitely, and in many cases prevented from being transferred to other Trainers and therefore not being "kept in work"?

* That all those horses will then be made to later "pass" satisfactory barrier trials?

* That there'll be immediate stable inspections state-wide to confirm compliance in all aspects of the legislation, and proper animal husbandry practices?

* That the licensing teams from both horse codes will either shut down indefinitely; or at the least, cease to process most stable and ownership transfers?

* That we'll hear of the instant cancellation of all Industry Awards nights for both the thoroughbred & harness codes (presumably due to the reputation damage to their codes & the 'embarrassment' caused?)

* That Stewards with experience predominantly within the greyhound industry will have to undertake the inspections on the properties of the horse owners / Trainers, irrespective of whether they may lack practical experience or knowledge of race or harness horses?

Call me cynical, BUT many would say that if EVEN ONE of the above were to occur in either of the "horse" codes, the uproar would be that bad there'd be heads rolling everywhere!

SO .... WHO CAN SPOT THE DIFFERENCE now???

Great article to put on all the websites just to show people JUST HOW MUCH THIS HAS IMPACTED on so many greyhound Owners and Trainers Australia wide .

Catalyst should be interesting next Tuesday appears to be on horse
racing.

To the ministry's credit, four detectives were planted inside the industry to investigate. And they have, seemingly resulting from the weight of investigative numbers, stood down a further 23 trainers.

That means 36 trainers have been stood down in total, most of them who use the same track where the live bait scandal was uncovered.

We cannot assume each of these trainers is guilty of these horrendous allegations.

We can, however, hold those who govern the industry accountable for its actions whether they knew about them or not. If trainers are stood aside, so too should those who regulate and oversee the state of the industry be.......
read whole article on line Brisbane Times.

Its worthwhile reading the whole article dont you think........

Why isn't Queensland's greyhound racing board being sacked?

Simon Holt
Managing Editor
brisbanetimes.com.au

For at least another three months, those who govern Queensland's insipid greyhound racing industry will continue to serve under a cloud of mismanagement and pleas of ignorance.

The Queensland Greyhound Racing board is beneficiary of a fresh government, reluctant to take the strong decision of other states to stand boards aside as investigations take place into appalling animal rights abuse.

Racing Minister Bill Byrne was lumped with the issue of animal rights abuse during day one of his new position.

Welcome to the job, Mr Minister. But that was four weeks ago.

To the ministry's credit, four detectives were planted inside the industry to investigate. And they have, seemingly resulting from the weight of investigative numbers, stood down a further 23 trainers.

That means 36 trainers have been stood down in total, most of them who use the same track where the live bait scandal was uncovered.

We cannot assume each of these trainers is guilty of these horrendous allegations.

We can, however, hold those who govern the industry accountable for its actions whether they knew about them or not. If trainers are stood aside, so too should those who regulate and oversee the state of the industry be.

Explainer: The Racing Queensland Board (RQ) is an 'all codes board', comprised of five members. It is the control body for three codes of racing thoroughbred, harness and greyhounds. Sitting under RQ are three separate code specific boards for each of the codes. The chairs of those code specific boards, plus two independent members, make up the all codes board.
While this is normally a matter of pragmatic process, these allegations are at the extreme end of animal cruelty. Police have discovered that such tasteless savagery has filtered through a considerable portion of the industry.

Other states have taken the hard option. Yet our authorities are left bumbling their way through a path of as they see it sensitivities, careful not to tarnish an entire industry due to a few bad eggs of the most rotten kind.

Suspend the board. It's the humane option, and one which the new government is either too green or too soft to enact.

An inquiry has been launched. It will take three months to complete. And the minister will perhaps argue that it is only fair to await the findings before taking action.

Now is the time to act. The board must be stood aside. Three months is simply an injustice.

There are 800 registered trainers in Queensland, and we can assume that not all are active. That means the number of trainers who have already been stood aside equates to at least 5 per cent of registered trainers in Queensland.

That figure is bound to be conservative. So at worst, at least one in 20 dogs assuming the number of dogs to trainer evens itself out across the industry has been involved with live baiting.

And that's at the beginning of ongoing police investigations.

What is rife? This is rife. Mr Byrne, do the right thing by the decent portion of the population and stand down the board, at least until investigations clear them of wrong-doing.

There will be those who argue the industry should be outlawed. This is not a feasible or reasonable outcome, at least not in the immediate future.

But it is everybody's duty to ensure the continuing day-to-day operations of dog racing are clean, and not tarnished by horrid claims of barbarism and inhumanity.

Even if the board didn't know live baiting was common practice, it is no excuse. They are appointed to govern. They are appointed to know.

Greyhound racing itself needs to change in Queensland, we all have the opportunity to put our views to the up and coming review into the regulation of the Queensland Greyhound Racing Industry, being headed up by Mr Alan MacSporran SC. That is the forum to do it in, each and everyone of us have the opportunity to do so, so lets grasp that opportunity and not waste it by internal bickering.

I notice from the recent Greyhounds Australasia survey that was circulated showed that out of everyone who could have taken part only 19% came from Queensland :( So those that wont like the changes that may come out, it might be you shouting the loudest because you didn't take part.

Just to start with I don't give a damn about the punter because he will punt wherever and whenever and he has probably had a punt now on when Greyhound racing will cease in Qld.

The kind of changes I think should take place just for starters are.

1. Stop twilight racing. Sky Racing do not have the right to dictate animal welfare to us.

2. Change corner starts to a straight start. Distances will change and there will be some building involved but for animal welfare it has to be worth it to stop the congestion and injuries on the first bend.

3. Reduce the field to 6 dogs, again less congestion all round on the track and less injuries.

4. Finnish on lure looped as in NZ and dogs to be pulled up in the back straight, so if a dog did fall and run back to the lure he will be greeted by a lot of synthetic rats tails and not a metal bar. Yes there will be some building work and the catchers will have to walk a bit further, so what.

A lot of you will poo poo these ideas but if you want to save our industry then you will have to take your blinkers off and think serious change. The most important thing is animal welfare and those ideas go away towards it.

Forget about thoroughbred and harness lets concentrate our efforts on preserving Greyhound Racing.

The Board are meeting tomorrow to consider the UQGA's request for an extension of the current deadline to submit RQ's Stat Dec.

Legal advice remains that members do NOT submit the Stat Dec at this time.

We have sent an alternate Stat Dec to RQ for their consideration and are waiting for a response.

An extension of time will allow all legal avenues to run their course and we are hopeful it will be granted.