Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr has slammed the State Government’s decision not to intervene in the closure of the Wagga Wagga Greyhound Club. Photo: Jarryd Rowley.
Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr has slammed the NSW Government’s response to Greyhound Racing NSW’s decision to cut racing meets in Wagga.
The decision to cut the meets came following an optimisation report from Deloitte, which found that cutting Wagga’s events along with several other regional tracks by the end of 2026 would better serve the greyhound racing industry.
The announcement of the track closure has been met with heavy opposition by local breeders and politicians, including federal MP Michael McCormack and state MP Dr Joe McGirr, who have called on both levels of government to intervene.
The NSW Minister for Gaming and Racing David Harris has since responded to the outcry but has said the State Government will not be getting involved.
“The NSW Government is aware of the campaign to save greyhound racing in Wagga Wagga launched by the Wagga Greyhound and District Racing Club,” a statement from David Harris’ office said.
“Under the Greyhound Racing Act 2017, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) is responsible for its track portfolio and any strategic decisions in relation to it.
“The government notes that GRNSW commissioned Deloitte to undertake an analysis of the criteria used to recommend track closures, as well as feedback from the industry summit.
“We understand the key aim of this initiative is to ensure NSW has a sustainable number of racing venues that are safe and can be appropriately maintained to meet minimum standards, as was additionally set out in the Drake Report [issued following the state government inquiry into greyhound racing].
“Implementation of the strategy is a matter for GRNSW, not the NSW Government, but we believe it is vital that Greyhound Racing NSW works closely with affected clubs and communities, including the Wagga and District Greyhound Racing Club.
“Any enquiries about its track optimisation strategy should be directed to GRNSW.”
Member for Wagga Wagga Dr Joe McGirr said the State Government had dropped the ball when it came to protecting racing in regional NSW and the racing industry would feel financial implications from its decision.
“The NSW Government should intervene,” he said.
“At the very least, the government should be asking GRNSW to review its decision. This is going to impact the largest inland city in regional NSW.
“It’s actually a really significant blow to the sport of greyhound racing. It will leave the southern part of the state and part of Victoria, basically, without greyhound racing.
“The Wagga club has refuted all of the claims in the Deloitte Report. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not too late to undo this.”
Dr McGirr said the findings of the Drake Report were heavily critical of GRNSW’s current operation practices and the claims made by the Deloitte optimisation report, claiming the Wagga club to be underperforming financially, have been refuted and should warrant the State Government looking into the decision to cut the track.
“They should be ringing alarm bells and these decisions need to be reviewed,” he said.
“We’ve got the Drake Report which is really critical, we’ve got the Deloitte Report, which they’ve [The Wagga Greyhound Club] answered the concerns in that you’ve got the simple fact that this is the biggest inland city in regional NSW, a major centre for greyhound racing.
“If I were at GRNSW, I would be really concerned about the future of the sport if these are the sort of decisions that are being made.
“It’s going to be a big blow locally, and we need to keep fighting this decision right up to the point that GRNSW chooses to stop racing in Wagga.”
Original Article published by Jarryd Rowley on Region Riverina.
