Greyhound racing in Australia continues to face public scrutiny over entrenched cruelty to dogs and other animals — including live baiting, overbreeding, injuries, confinement, and the killing of dogs that are no longer ‘profitable’. Despite years of promises and reform claims, the harm continues.

41 greyhounds have reportedly been killed on Australian race tracks, and 5,590 injured, in the first seven months of 2026.

Despite continued public outrage and the industry’s repeated promises of reform, dogs (and other animals) are still suffering for the sake of gambling profits.

Explosive investigations by Animals Australia and Animal Liberation Queensland exposed widespread live baiting in Australia’s greyhound racing trade back in 2015. Piglets, rabbits and native possums were tied to lures to encourage greyhounds to chase and maul them in a sadistic training method that was not only widespread, but widely accepted.

Since then, multiple allegations and findings of animal cruelty have emerged from Australia’s greyhound racing industry, including several in recent years.

In Victoria, a greyhound tested positive for cocaine before a 2024 race, while trainers have continued to face suspensions and investigations over alleged live baiting.

In South Australia, drone footage captured dogs and puppies being punched, kicked and dragged on a prominent trainer’s property.

Tasmania’s ‘top’ greyhound trainer was investigated for live baiting after the tail of a native Australian pademelon was found attached to a lure arm on his property.

Serious questions have also come to light about transparency in Tasmania, where 40 race replays involving falls and injuries were withheld from the public website. The footage was later released under right-to-information laws, showing dozens of dogs being injured, trampled, and in some cases, killed.

These are not isolated incidents. A 2024 report by the outgoing Chief Veterinary Officer for Greyhound Racing New South Wales (NSW) alleged extreme, entrenched animal welfare issues across nearly every facet of the industry, including; 

• Dogs being pushed to race at a “barbaric” rate, contributing to an alarming increase in injuries 
• Overbreeding of dogs to meet quotas leading to thousands of “exhausted” greyhounds being discarded “with no hope of being rehomed” 
• Dogs born into the industry “generally live in substandard conditions” in industrial kennels 
• Dogs injured on track continuing to be killed despite their injuries not being life-threatening 
• An “appalling” level of distress seen in dogs in track kennels 
• An “alarming” number of dogs discarded by the industry with severe health and behavioural issues, many requiring anti-anxiety medication due to “psychological trauma… endured during their racing lives”.

Despite these explosive allegations leading to a NSW Government inquiry, the state’s Premier committed to continuing support of the state’s greyhound racing industry, undermining the findings of the inquiry before it had even begun.

The risks to greyhounds spread beyond our nation’s shores as well. ABC Investigations unveiled that Australian greyhounds were being exported to China to be used as ‘breeder dogs’ to fuel its illegal gambling industry. Legislation was proposed to prevent Australian greyhounds from being exported overseas, but devastatingly, the bill did not pass, leaving these sensitive animals vulnerable to further suffering.

This industry, at its ‘best’, requires the ongoing breeding of dogs so that the fastest can be used to support its primary goal: to generate gambling income. This means many dogs bred into the industry never even make it to the track.

Even the ‘winners’ suffer; they can legally be confined for most of their lives to barren concrete and wire kennels, and are exposed to a high risk of painful injury and death during training and racing. 

As long as greyhound racing continues in Australia, dogs will continue be injured, confined and discarded when they’re no longer profitable. No animal deserves to suffer and die for the sake of gambling money.

Momentum is building to end greyhound racing. Aotearoa New Zealand has legislated to close its commercial racing industry from 1 August 2026, while Wales and Scotland have also recently passed legislation to end the practice.

Ahead of Aotearoa New Zealand’s ban, reports emerged that greyhounds were expected to be exported to Australia. The Australian Government has acknowledged it cannot prevent imported dogs from being used for racing once they arrive, exposing them to great risk within the very system their home country is ending.

In Australia, the ACT has already ended greyhound racing on welfare grounds, and Tasmania is set to phase it out by 2029. It’s time for every Australian state to follow suit and protect dogs by bringing greyhound racing to an end.

Greyhound racing has a long record of cruelty. Dogs are bred for gambling, confined in barren kennels, injured on tracks, and discarded when they are no longer deemed ‘profitable’. Despite years of promised reform, the harm continues. Your voice can help call for an end to this cruel gambling business.

As pressure grows in Australia and internationally to end greyhound racing, now is the time for decision-makers to act. Send a message to your local MP and urge them to support an end to greyhound racing.