Australian greyhound racing live baiting scandal

The Australian greyhound racing live baiting scandal is a series of events that occurred in at least three Australian states where live baiting of racing greyhounds was exposed on ABC TV and in The Sydney Morning Herald. On 16 February 2015, the Australian television current affairs program Four Corners revealed the use of live piglets, possums and rabbits to train racing greyhounds had been occurring over some years, despite self-regulatory efforts to address the issue. The revelation led to suspensions, inquiries, widespread condemnation of the practice, and, following an inquiry, to the banning of greyhound racing in New South Wales from July 2017, and consequently, the Australian Capital Territory as well. The NSW ban was reversed on 11 October 2016, with conditions.

Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhound dogs are raced around a track, chasing a mechanical lure over a fixed distance. Historically, the sport is based on the principle of coursing. It is a legalised form of gambling in many jurisdictions. Some greyhound trainers believe that greyhounds will chase better, and hence have a greater chance of winning the race, if they have chased and caught a live animal during training. The live bait animal is either attached to the mechanical lure, dragged in front of the greyhound, or thrown to it. The greyhound will often maim or kill the bait animal, resulting in death.

The greyhound industry and the law provide harsh penalties for the use of live baits in training. Nevertheless, accusations of live baiting in the Australian greyhound industry have arisen from time to time.

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