[Greens-Media] SA Greyhound Cull Figure Must Be Revealed, Say Greens

[Franks, Office]

IMMEDIATE RELEASE       July 24, 2016


SA Greyhound Cull Figure Must Be Revealed, Say Greens

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Tammy Franks MLC, Greens spokesperson for Animal Welfare, will today speak at the March for the Murdered Million in recognition of the greyhounds needlessly killed within the racing industry.



Ms Franks said: "It's time that we were told the true death toll for dogs of the greyhound racing industry in our state. That figure will likely never come to light until the full force of a parliamentary inquiry makes it happen. Without that transparency the industry cannot reasonably expect public trust and a continued social licence to operate.



"That is why I will be pushing for a parliamentary inquiry into this industry in the coming sitting week. That inquiry would have an urgent focus on revealing the 'wastage' rates, the term the industry uses to describe its killing of healthy dogs.



"Since the Four Corners exposé, the SA Greens and RSPCA SA have repeatedly asked for the death toll of dogs raced in our state. A year and a half later we still don't have answers from GRSA or the Weatherill Government. The little we do know is that it is likely in the thousands each year and we only know this through a confidential document revealed by the scrutiny of the NSW inquiry, not information willingly proffered by GRSA or Minister Bignell.



"The NSW experience shows that live baiting was just one part of the cruelty in this industry. There the Baird Government, with the information revealed by the NSW independent inquiry, has decided the industry is beyond redemption. Here the Weatherill Labor Government is willing to bet against the odds that somehow SA is different to all the other states and territories. They take that punt, sight unseen. That is a very risky bet. We say, show us the evidence.



GRSA are currently refusing to comply with a Freedom of Information (FOI) inquiry made by Tammy Franks MLC to reveal the 'wastage' rates in South Australia of healthy but uncompetitive greyhounds killed. Ms Franks has also called on Weatherill Government Ministers Hunter and Bignell to provide this information to the parliament. Those questions also remain unanswered.
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Media Contact: Tammy Franks 0457 549 938
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