October 2026 marks 10 years since the NSW Government backflipped on its decision to end greyhound racing in the state. A decade on, nothing has changed, and RSPCA NSW believes enough is enough.
With each review and subsequent report, the evidence has only become clearer: the animal welfare risks identified in the greyhound industry are overwhelming, and they cannot, and will not, be resolved while greyhound racing continues.
RSPCA NSW is revealing The Truth Behind the Track so that Australians can see greyhound racing for what it is. The facts speak for themselves, and cannot be rewritten, softened or spun.
Truth #1: More than $200 million in NSW Government funding has been allocated to support Greyhound Racing in NSW (GRNSW) since 2016
Since 2016, the NSW Government has allocated over $200 million to support the greyhound racing industry. This has included more than $100 million for the industry regulator and a $10 million commitment to support the transition of greyhound racing from Wentworth Park to other tracks.
Truth #2: The 2025 Drake Inquiry found no NSW greyhound racing track had ever been compliant with the industry’s own safety standards
The 2025 Drake Inquiry found that no NSW track met GRNSW’s own 2020 Minimum Track Standards, including those that had been completely rebuilt with government funding, and the latest data still shows that most serious injuries occur during the physical act of racing.
Truth #3: Over 25,000 injuries have been recorded for greyhounds on NSW tracks
Despite all the inquiries and reforms, the serious injury rate has increased since 2018.
Official quarterly injury reports published by the industry’s regulator recorded 25,892 race injury incidents from January 2018 to June 2026. That is more than eight recorded injury incidents every day for more than eight years.
More recently, across the April-June 2026 quarter, it was reported that:
- 5 greyhounds had died at racetracks
- 3 greyhounds died as a result of injuries sustained at racetracks
- A further 853 injury incidents were recorded due to racing
Truth #4: Greyhounds are being ‘rehomed’ into kennel environments.
Retirement should mean a home, not another kennel. Yet thousands of retired greyhounds are still being kept by industry participants as of March 2026 based on annual figures, with many of these housed for prolonged periods in small, barren, single-dog kennels and an unknown number are hidden from view once ‘rehomed’ to long-term kennelling or ‘farm stay’ arrangements.
RSPCA NSW believes the time for excuses has passed. The evidence shows greyhound racing cannot be made safe, and the NSW Government and industry regulators must now confront what that means for the future of the industry.
“No public relations campaign from Greyhound Racing NSW can change the reality that greyhounds continue to be injured, killed and warehoused at unacceptable rates,” said RSPCA NSW Chief Veterinarian Dr Liz Arnott.
“Commercial greyhound racing in 2026 exists in fewer than ten countries, with New Zealand officially banning the sport in August due to animal welfare concerns. Does Australia really want to be the last place in the world to monetise this cruel spectatorship?
“New Zealand has shown what is possible when a government has the courage to act. Ten years after NSW stepped back from its own decision, the evidence is stronger, the cost is greater and the need for action is more urgent. NSW must finish what it started.”
