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Find your frequency here"Political football": Rockcliff condemned for greyhounds call
SEN • August 12th, 2025 11:50 pm
Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) chair Peita Duncan and Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) CEO Steve Griffin have slammed Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockcliff’s decision to end funding for greyhound racing by 2029.
Griffin accused Rockliff of using the sport as a political football while pledging his full support to the Tasmania industry and vowing to support their bid to see the ban overturned.
“We are pretty disgusted and quite sick of politicians treating our sport as a political football,” Griffin said. “Here’s just another example of politicians playing around with our sport.
“The lesson from the past is if you kick a sport like ours, you’ll get something back, and we’ll stand very firmly alongside Greyhound Racing Tasmania to make sure we can get this decision overturned.
“The majority of Australians believe in a fair go. Sports like ours have been working hard and doing really well over the last ten years to improve welfare and improve the sport, and time and time again we get kicked by these politicians who want to treat us like a political football, and we’re just over it.
“You talk to any participant throughout Australia and they’re all upset today. ‘Here we go again. Another politician using us as a political football,’ they are all saying. This has just got to stop and we are sick of it.”
Duncan meanwhile accused Rockcliff of utter hypocrisy given only three weeks ago he “pledged (his) unqualified support to all three racing codes, including greyhound racing.”
Duncan echoed the sentiments of her NSW-based colleagues in pledging her full support to see the funding cut overturned.
“Greyhound Racing Victoria and the thousands of participants in this state are standing beside the entire Tasmanian greyhound racing industry today, following your sudden and inexplicable withdrawal of support for our wonderful sport in your state,” Duncan wrote in an open letter condemning the ruling.
“You have reneged on that promise, putting your personal ambition above the livelihoods of hundreds of greyhound racing participants in Tasmania who love and care for their greyhounds.
“To cave in and side with those who want to ban everything based on no facts is both soul-destroying and incredibly disingenuous for those who believed your previous commitments. How can the rank-and-file have any faith that you will do what’s in their best interests?”
Both Duncan and Griffin cited the significant improvements the industry had made when it comes to welfare and integrity as well as the $60 million a year it brings the state.
