Animal Welfare (Live Baiting) Amendment Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 13 May 2015.)

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (16:43): I rise today to speak on the Animal Welfare (Live Baiting) Amendment Bill and indicate that I will be the lead speaker for the opposition. We will be supporting the bill and hope that it can be dealt with as swiftly as possible so that changes can be enforced. I would also like to note that I am the shadow minister for racing. It has taken a long time to get to this stage in South Australia, obviously since revelations of live baiting interstate were revealed on the ABC.

We have been told by the state government that there is no evidence to date that live baiting is occurring or has occurred within the South Australian greyhound industry. However, reforms are vital to ensure that there are no opportunities for live baiting to happen. In saying that, the RSPCA has claimed that Greyhound Racing SA has told them in a meeting that some dogs from South Australia have been trained interstate using live baiting. I will be seeking to find out how the government's strategy, through this bill, will address dogs that are live baited interstate and just how the state government is dealing with the RSPCA's concerns.

Where does the Minister for Racing stand on this? Has he taken the RSPCA's concerns on board? It would appear that perhaps he has not, considering his comments in the media recently accusing the RSPCA of grandstanding. As the state government procrastinated on reforms, a property was raided by police at Two Wells earlier this year, and all greyhounds at the property, run by a leading South Australian trainer, were suspended.

In February, the ABC's Four Corners aired programs showing greyhound trainers and industry figures using a range of animals as live bait and it was certainly horrific to see a practice that is condemned in the industry. The footage, taken from training tracks in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales, has led to over 70 individuals being implicated and the suspension of some 20 to 30 owners and trainers. We have seen penalties enforced on high-profile trainers and many well-known names in the industry across Australia, so there is widespread public outrage at how deeply this practice may be entrenched within the industry.

This has obviously raised questions as to whether live baiting is occurring in South Australia. I note that our racing bodies in South Australia have come out strongly and condemned such a practice, stating that they were shocked by the footage and that there has been no evidence of live baiting in South Australia. It has been made very clear that it will not be tolerated, but my sympathies go out to the hardworking people in the industry who, unfortunately, have perhaps been tarred with that brush, as malicious practices interstate have been going on.

The RSPCA has put forward four key animal welfare reforms for the greyhound industry. They are the implementation of an independent agency responsible for integrity and oversight; that a formal system of traceability of greyhounds through their life cycle be established and that the data be made publicly available; that funding be set aside by the industry for the future welfare of greyhounds bred for racing, including comprehensive rehoming and retirement programs; and that a formal referral mechanism be established, mandating that all breaches of animal welfare legislation regulations or codes be immediately reported to the appropriate enforcement agencies for their investigation and action.

On 26 February, the Liberal Party announced and tabled a bill targeting live baiting in South Australia. Essentially, the Liberal Party sought to amend the Animal Welfare Act to assist in the detection of live baiting in the greyhound racing industry in South Australia by requiring that lure coursing and, in particular, devices known as bullrings be licensed.

Live baiting was phased out in the late 1920s when a mechanical hare, designed to simulate live prey, was used on a circular track. Later, the use of a squeaky toy was added to the lure. The use of live prey was made illegal in Australia in the 1980s, with the last event held in South Australia in 1985. We need to restore confidence in the industry by establishing a set of rules to ensure that this practice is not taking place in South Australia.

Currently, live baiting is illegal, as it would be considered to be an offence under section 13 of the act, attracting a gaol term of up to four years and a financial penalty of up to $50,000. Section 13 of the Animal Welfare Act refers to ill treatment of animals. Subsection (1) provides:

If—

(a) a person ill treats an animal; and

(b) the ill treatment causes the death of, or serious harm to, that animal; and

(c) the person intends to cause, or is reckless about causing, the death of, or serious harm to, the animal,

the person is guilty of an offence.

However, there are no current offences for activities associated with live baiting such as supplying the animals to be the bait, providing the venue or being present at one of these inhumane training sessions. I note that this bill seeks to amend the act so that these related offences are covered.

The RSPCA is the authority responsible for the monitoring and enforcing of the act. The RSPCA can enter property, seize animals and collect evidence in line with other authorised officer provisions under other acts of parliament, and these authorised officer powers are set out in section 30 of our Animal Welfare Act.

Greyhound Racing SA has a code of practice for greyhound establishments focused on standards for the welfare of greyhounds and there are 1.5 FTE GRSA stewards who undertake kennel and track inspections. I have met a couple of those stewards at a recent greyhound meeting up at Port Augusta and I think they are doing an outstanding job. They are diligent with their work, they have compassion for the industry, they have compassion for the animals, as do the stewards who undertake the kennel and track inspections. In South Australia there are approximately 300 premises and 350 trainers who are likely to receive a visit once every two years.

Greyhound Racing SA's inspectors do not have the same powers under their code as the powers under the Animal Welfare Act and, until the airing of the program, the focus has been on the care and welfare of greyhounds rather than the detection of the animal cruelty associated with greyhound training. GRSA's existing registration system requires that all trainers and facilities be licensed and subject to random inspections. Penalties for breaches of the code can attract up to a $50,000 fine and a lifetime ban from the sport.

The RSPCA in South Australia and SAPOL are responsible for monitoring, enforcement and prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act, including alleged instances of cruelty to animals. The government proposed measures to target live baiting in South Australia are based upon recommendations of a working group from GRSA, RSPCA SA, SAPOL and DEWNR animal welfare officers.

In conclusion, it is time to restore confidence in the industry for the sake of all and the honest and decent people who work in and are associated with the industry. I have met most of these people who are associated with the industry and they are good people. They have a passion for the industry, they have a passion for their animals, and they have a passion for competitive sport. This scourge of live baiting has tarnished their good work, their commitment and dedication to greyhound racing in South Australia. We need to establish a set of rules to ensure this practice of live baiting is not happening in South Australia and will not happen in this state in the future.

Sitting extended beyond 17:00 on motion of Hon. S.E. Close.

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (16:52): It is my pleasure to speak on this very important piece of legislation to take a number of steps in regard to live baiting and preventing that sort of inhumane, illegal action from taking place which, as everybody knows, is also against good practice in the racing industry. I think we have all been shocked by the revelations that have come out following the Four Corners report, particularly the video of some of the practices that were happening in the eastern states in the greyhound industry, and luckily we have not see any evidence of that sort of action happening in the South Australian greyhound industry, but I think it is prudent for the parliament to take some legislative measures at this time to ensure that that sort of practice does not happen here in South Australia.

We need to be able to have laws that will punish anybody who participates in such activities in the future and also send a clear message to those in the racing industry that cruel, barbaric and inhumane treatment of animals will not be tolerated. Like many members, I have spoken to many constituents in the electorate of Kaurna in the southern suburbs who have been very concerned about the revelations following the Four Corners report. They have emailed and phoned my office and have met with me, and they have all been extremely concerned about the maltreatment of animals. I believe it is testament to the kind-hearted nature of the community that they are so concerned about this issue.

In Kaurna, residents are primarily concerned about the fact that the practice of live baiting has not occurred in isolated instances in other states but has become common practice in some of those states for some of those industry participants, and they definitely do not want to see that happen in South Australia. One woman even wrote to me to say that she found it difficult to sleep after watching the footage, knowing the elements of this practice could still be lawful. I think that goes to show how deeply concerned people across the community are about this issue. They want to see parliament take action on this matter.

The bill that has been proposed by the minister seeks to address all the issues that have arisen from the Four Corners report, providing a wide scope of activities relating to live baiting that will now be punishable by a fine up to $50,000 or four years imprisonment. This is a very significant piece of legislation that has been put before the house. Anyone who organises or promotes live baiting, allows live baiting to occur on their property, provides animals knowingly for the use of live baiting, or does anything else relating to live baiting can be severely punished under this piece of legislation that is being proposed. Even an individual who is present where any of these activities are occurring can be punished by a fine of up to $20,000 or gaol for two years.

I think what we are seeing from the minister in this bill is that the government is taking these allegations very seriously and he has been keen to ensure that we work with the industry to take measures, but also have in our laws a clear indication that this sort of practice is not acceptable and will face outcomes if it is found.

I believe that this amendment provides a solution that is necessary, just and effective in relation to dealing with the problem of live baiting. The inclusion of such a wide array of activities in relation to live baiting ensures that all parts of this repulsive practice can be put to an end and hopefully not ever spread to South Australia, and anybody engaged in this practice will be punished accordingly. It is my hope that, through this legislation, we will not see that practice here in South Australia.

I think it has been good to see that the greyhound industry in South Australia has been prepared to take action in this matter. They have been prepared to work with the Minister for Racing and the minister for the environment to take further action. I think there have even been discussions about drones flying in the sky to catch out some of this activity that might be further afield, away from the public eye, as well as more people employed to check on activities that are happening across the state.

A number of people who have written to me are also concerned, saying that they want to see government funding for the greyhound industry stopped. I think it is worth clarifying at this point that there is not direct government funding of the greyhound industry; but, of course, there is a levy in terms of what people bet through the TAB, and a proportion of that goes back into the racing industry. So that fund really comes from the people who engage in gambling on the racing industry and not from a wide variety of other taxes. I commend this piece of legislation. I hope it achieves a speedy passage through this house and helps stop these sorts of practices coming to South Australia.

Mr WINGARD (Mitchell) (16:57): I too rise to support this bill. I must say that I strongly oppose any cruelty to animals. Like everyone in this house, I am horrified by the vision that was shown on Four Corners on 16 February of the greyhound racing live baiting scandal that really brought this to a head. This practice, of course, is illegal in South Australia and comes with severe penalties, and I think everyone would think that that is the right way to go. The abuse of animals, including live baiting, is considered a criminal act in South Australia, as we are aware, and carries a prison sentence of up to four years and fines of up to $50,000.

I strongly support the decision of Greyhound Racing SA to immediately prosecute and ban anyone in the industry who is found to partake in the barbaric practice of live baiting and also support the RSPCA investigating any ill treatment of animals, if this were to be seen to be the case. I know from the earlier reports that it has not been proven or seen to be a practice that takes place here in South Australia, for which I think everyone is very grateful, and I hope that remains the case. It has been more prevalent in other states. Of course, we know that live baiting is the use of live animals (rabbits, possums, pigeons and the like) to try to lure greyhounds. I think it is something that really no-one accepts right across the state and probably right across the nation.

As far as our sporting industry is concerned, we do not want to see this sort of practice evolve. I have had a number of people contact my office disgusted with what they saw on television. It has created a lot of heartfelt thought from people in my community. I must say that I fully support their disgust at what was shown on television, and we will do everything we can to make sure this does not go on in the future.

I have had people from Sheidow Park, O'Halloran Hill, Dover Gardens, Trott Park, Old Reynella, Reynella, Warradale and right throughout the entire electorate really who have contacted me. An amazing number of people have contacted my office just to outline their disdain for what they saw on television.

I commend the Hon. Michelle Lensink in the upper house for bringing forward this animal welfare amendment bill around the greyhound training principle of live baiting to say that we just absolutely must move to get this happening as soon as possible to make sure that there is no way this can infiltrate into South Australia and make sure that we knock it on the head. To say that it is not happening in South Australia so we do not need to move this bill forward, I think, is a really poor way to view it. Knowing that it is happening interstate, we cannot sit here blind to the fact that it may or may not have happened here in the past and people may or may not be looking to do it here in the future.

I think it is vital that, as a collective, we move this amendment to the bill through and do all we can to make sure that the practice of live baiting is stamped out once and for all. What we need to achieve as the outcome of this bill is that there is no way that it can possibly infiltrate here into South Australia and so there is no way or means of having it here. I think, as you speak to people in the community and again, as I said, people who have contacted my office, you know how it makes people feel to even believe something like this can be going on, so anything and everything we can do to stamp this out and make sure it is not part of the sport going forward and not a part of our society is very important.

I will not go into the details of live baiting—I have made a couple of mentions of it—because it is really something that I think people do not want to revisit. Anyone who has seen the footage would like to rewind time and unsee the footage because it really is very unpleasant. From our position in this parliament, anything we can do to help prevent this from happening, to eliminate this from happening, to stop this from happening and make sure that it is not something that is practised in South Australia, I encourage everyone to support and be a part of.

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (17:01): 'He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.' Those were the words of Immanuel Kant, the 18^th century philosopher and they are perhaps even more relevant in 21^st century Australia than they were in 18^th century Europe. In 2015, our world is very different from Kant's and, when it comes to animal welfare, we are faced with a range of additional pressures which leave animals vulnerable to exploitation and cruelty.

I am fortunate enough to be able to stand in parliament and advocate for the people who I represent. That includes issues which confront people in my electorate, but I also believe that this position gives me the opportunity to discuss issues that confront humanity, and that includes animal welfare.

I believe that animals, whether wild or domesticated, are part of our ecosystem and our society. I am not a vegetarian and I do believe that animals can be harvested for our sustenance, but this is a privilege, not a right, and with such a privilege comes responsibility: a responsibility to treat animals with dignity, a responsibility to avoid any sort of animal cruelty and a responsibility not to exploit animals for our own indulgence. As stewards of this planet, we are given much responsibility but equally much is expected of us, and those who make a living out of animals have a duty of care to ensure that those animals are treated well.

This line of thinking means that I have significant personal reservations against many forms of intensive animal farming and the use of animals for sporting indulgence. There is a balance here obviously, but it is a balance that often gets out of kilter.

This brings me to the bill which is before our parliament today: the Animal Welfare (Live Baiting) Amendment Bill 2015. This is the state Labor government's legislative response to the exposé by the ABC's Four Corners in February 2015. This program was an excellent example of investigative journalism, something which I believe has an important place in our democratic processes and which should be encouraged.

The government's bill has taken a long time to get into this chamber. The ABC aired Four Corners in February 2015, yet it has taken seven months for the government's legislation to reach the House of Assembly for debate. Meanwhile, the Liberal Party introduced laws into parliament within two weeks of the shocking revelations on Four Corners.

At that time, the Liberal Party sought to amend the relevant legislation to require bullrings to be licensed. Bullrings are enclosed circular greyhound training facilities surrounded by a fence, usually with a pole in the centre and a rotating arm from which a lure is attached and rotated. Licences for bullrings would enable trainers to be located and monitored. The Liberal Party had been informed that bullrings have been used previously in South Australia, and that if live baiting is happening, it is most likely to occur using bullrings.

We have been reassured time and time again by Greyhound Racing SA that live baiting does not occur in South Australia. The government takes them at their word, hook, line and sinker. I do not take them at their word, and I have significant reservations about Greyhound Racing SA and their self-regulation approach to looking after their industry. I think it is a case of the fox being put in charge of the henhouse.

The assurance by Greyhound Racing SA that live baiting does not occur in South Australia does not sit well with me. We can take them at their word and we can hope that it does not happen here, but we know that a significant portion of the greyhound racing industry is located in quite isolated areas within regional and rural South Australia. Whether greyhound racing uses live baiting is really something that is very difficult to ascertain. Is it happening? We can cross our fingers and hope it is not, but I do have my personal doubts.

The state government chose not to support the Liberal Party's legislation, and instead we had to wait a further six months until legislation was introduced. The bill which is now on the table goes some distance to reassuring people that the state government has the welfare of animals as one of its policy priorities. But, does it go far enough? That is the question.

The bill seeks to create new offences for live baiting, releasing an animal from captivity for the purposes of it being hunted or killed, selling or supplying an animal for the purposes of live baiting, and keeping an animal for the purposes of live baiting. These new offences have penalties attached to them, including a maximum fine of $50,000 or up to four years' imprisonment, which is substantial in terms of the level of penalty imposed and will hopefully provide an appropriate deterrent.

The bill also seeks to beef up Greyhound Racing SA's inspectorate, refocusing it to include detection of potential animal cruelty and improving protocols with the RSPCA and SAPOL. Again, this is part of the entire process that personally does not sit with me very well at all, because, as I just said, the idea of the henhouse being patrolled by the fox does not sit comfortably with me. I would prefer, as the RSPCA would prefer, a stronger, more independent government-run inspectorate to be put in place. Again, that is my personal view.

I note that the RSPCA disagrees with many of the state government's assumptions which underpin the bill, and they have a significant disagreement with the government's viewpoint that, because South Australia has not in the past prosecuted any owners or trainers for live baiting, the industry does not need to undergo any genuine reform. The RSPCA have claimed that the industry has told them that there are dogs in operation which have in the past been live baited interstate.

When the Minister for Racing was asked about this recently, he accused the RSPCA of grandstanding. This is deeply disturbing, and such an approach to be taken by a government minister troubles me, because it appears that he is not taking a fair-minded view to this very difficult policy area which has raised huge concerns in our state. The RSPCA also believes that the greyhound racing industry should be, as I previously mentioned, regulated by a strong independent body, not a system of self-regulation, whether that is beefed up or not.

I will support the bill, as the Liberal Party will, and I hope that it is successful in creating a robust legislative framework through which greyhound racing can work in South Australia. I am proud of being an advocate for animal welfare in this parliament. It is one of those things which we must always keep a watchful eye on, improving legislation and where appropriate taking action, whether that is in response to the views of our constituents or in response to investigative journalism such as we saw from the Four Corners program.

Animal welfare is not simply the domain of the Greens party. There are many members of the Liberal Party who are committed to this cause and it is with disappointment that I have to count on the government's lack of speed in getting reforms moving in this area. Their efforts to date have been slow, pale and their effectiveness will be told in time. I hope no more animals need to suffer while we wait to see if the government's legislation is effective. I commend the bill to the house and urge its speedy progression into South Australian law.

Ms COOK (Fisher) (17:11): I rise today to speak in favour of the government's Animal Welfare (Live Baiting) Amendment Bill. On 16 February, the ABC's investigative journalism program, Four Corners, revealed to Australia the seedy underbelly that exists within a small element of the greyhound industry. It exposed where the scandalous and cruel act of live baiting was still happening within our greyhound industry. The documentary graphically showed the live possums, rabbits and piglets being strapped to the greyhound lures and dragged around a track, sometimes more than 20 times while these greyhounds were being blooded. It was a truly awful thing to view and I think actually worse to listen to.

Do I believe that an overwhelming majority of South Australian greyhound trainers support live baiting? Well, no. Do I believe that most punters in South Australia support live baiting? No. Do I believe that there is much support at all for live baiting in South Australia? No. Since being elected to represent Fisher just months ago, this has been one of the biggest issues that constituents have contacted me about, with not one single supporter for the practice of live baiting thankfully.

The act of blooding a greyhound is done to make the animal more aggressive and to coerce the animal to run around the track faster. Greyhounds are not naturally an aggressive dog, so the use of live baiting is done to awaken some kind of primal instinct in the animal to coerce it into running faster, running after the lure in a kind of bloodlust frenzy that is not natural to the dog.

Greyhounds' kind soul and nurturing spirit are well documented not only by animal behaviourists on an academic level but also through the wide range of companion animal programs run throughout the state with the breed. I had the opportunity to see firsthand the program that the Greyhound Adoption Program of South Australia runs with Adelaide Women's Prison which has greyhounds as companion animals for prisoners. This benefits both the prisoners and the dogs, giving the prisoners some care and affection in their lives, and the same also to these dogs. Adoption greyhounds are also used extensively by the University of Adelaide's Veterinary Science School. Greyhounds are a perfectly good-natured dog to work with our budding veterinarians in a truly compassionate way to get them starting to work with animals.

The documentary exposed a number of high-profile greyhound races on Australia's east coast including what the documentary described as 'the King of greyhound trainers' Darren McDonald. He has made millions racing dogs. It was disturbing to see that so many high-profile people across the Eastern States have since faced charges on animal cruelty. These were the people that the industry held in such high esteem. It is a disgrace. There has been no evidence that the practice of live baiting takes place in South Australia, there have been no prosecutions of live baiting in South Australia, nor have activist groups been able to uncover any evidence of it taking place currently.

While it is my sincerest wish that live baiting is not taking place in South Australia, I harbour some thoughts, like the member for Bright, and cannot be certain that it is not the case, given the secretive way that small cabals of trainers have been operating interstate. The practice of live baiting is currently illegal in South Australia, with section 14 of the Animal Welfare Act 1985 making it a crime to 'cause (an) animal to be killed or injured by another animal'.

The offence can carry with it up to $50,000 in fines or up to four years imprisonment. Noting this, how does the new bill change the situation and why is it necessary? Currently, there are no penalties for the activities associated with live baiting, like supplying the animals to use as bait, providing the venues for the live bait training to take part in. Facilitating live baiting needs to be taken as seriously as engaging in the act directly and I am happy to support reforms that do this.

The bill will make engaging in any part of the live baiting process carry the same penalties for those who engage in organising live animal fights, such as pit bull fights and cockfighting. To demonstrate our abhorrence to those fights, the penalties will be increased to a maximum of a $50,000 fine or up to four years imprisonment. The possession of a lure with a live or dead animal attached to it will also be added to the list of paraphernalia for those associated with animal fights. This should prove a significant disincentive to those who engage in live baiting or support it.

I also wanted to comment on the fact that this bill has been written in consultation with both the RSPCA and Greyhound Racing SA, and that goes some way to reinforcing why this did take some time to come before the house, because it brought together a number of organisations in a best-practice approach to legislation. Both of these organisations condemn in the strongest possible terms the disgusting practice of live baiting and want to ensure that no trainers are engaged in the practice. I would like to commend Greyhound Racing SA for their commitment to ensuring that the practice is not taking place, with Greyhound Racing SA's CEO Matt Corby saying that the industry would not 'succumb to the irresponsible and unethical minority'. I believe he is sincere in his desire to ensure that the practice is not occurring in our state and that those who are caught doing it are punished to the full extent of the law.

I would like to also thank the RSPCA for their compassion and advocacy used, providing our furred, feathered and finned friends a voice. Also, thank you to the people of Fisher who, with their kind hearts and strong wills, have contacted me and really thrown their support behind this important bill. This bill protects our dogs, our animals and indeed our humanity. I urge all members to support it and commend the bill to the house.

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (17:16): I rise also to speak in support of this bill. Like many who saw the ABC Four Corners episode 'Making A Killing' back in February of this year, I was deeply troubled by the report and the footage shown. As honourable members are well aware, I was not the only one appalled by what I saw. After the program aired, I received many hundreds of phone calls, emails and letters from my constituents asking for parliament to act to prevent such cruelty to animals. I have no doubt that many other members had a similar experience, and I am glad today that we are finally acting on what we saw on the Four Corners program.

The callous nature of what was depicted in the documentary showed the greed of unscrupulous greyhound trainers who sought advantage from what they knew to be an unfair, illegal and cruel practice. Those who would choose to engage in this act of live baiting smear all greyhound trainers, including those who do their utmost to properly care for their animals. In Queensland, one of the three states where live baiting was found to have been taking place, there have been significant developments in recent times. It has been reported that a Queensland police taskforce investigating live baiting has so far made 25 arrests based on 68 charges, the vast majority of those charges based on animal cruelty.

In response to an inquiry conducted by commissioner Alan MacSporran QC, the Queensland government committed to significant reform to the racing industry in their state, and I will return to reform of the industry shortly. Thankfully, there has been no evidence suggesting that greyhound trainers in South Australia have been engaging in this despicable practice, but we cannot be certain about this, and as the government has already pointed out, there is no assurance that it does not take place in our state as well. I believe the bill before us provides a measured response to make sure that the integrity of current laws are upheld and allows a safe, fair and humane racing industry to continue in South Australia. Most notably, this bill imposes strict penalties for not only those personally engaged in live baiting but also those persons who in any way contribute to such disgraceful practices.

The house should note that it was the Liberal Party that immediately took the initiative to amend this important legislation. Within 10 days of the airing of the Four Corners episode, our colleague in the other place, the Hon. Michelle Lensink, introduced a bill: the Animal Welfare (Greyhound Training) Amendment Bill 2015. The bill introduced by the Hon. Michelle Lensink, like the government bill, has sought to toughen the penalties on those persons who commit acts of animal cruelty and those associated with acts committed. However the bill put forward by the Liberal Party and, indeed, by the Hon. Michelle Lensink went further in putting forward suggested reform, namely, the introduction of a licensing system of greyhound training facilities overseen by the minister.

In relation to the bill before us, although the government's bill toughens penalties to prevent animal cruelty in the racing industry, it does not specifically address the regulation of training facilities, particularly licensing, which I would like to see. In terms of the current bill, the new penalties include a maximum penalty of $50,000 or imprisonment for four years for a person who organises or otherwise takes part in live coursing and is guilty of that offence, which is a dramatic increase and certainly a harsh penalty.

Additionally, a person who sells or supplies an animal to another knowing that the animal is to be used as bait in live coursing is guilty of an offence, with a maximum penalty $20,000 or imprisonment for two years. Indeed, in terms of operating without a licence, the bill states:

A person must not accept, in accordance with the licence under this part, operate a prescribed facility for the purpose of training or exercising a dog or undertake an activity to which this part applies.

The maximum penalty is $10,000 or imprisonment for one year for noncompliance. There are a lot of harsher penalties in this proposed bill, but as I reflected on, it would be worthwhile I think for the government to consider the introduction of a licensing system for greyhound training facilities overseen by the minister.

It is for this reason that I would encourage the government to work with Greyhound Racing SA and the RSPCA to implement a stronger system of oversight for all training facilities. Since the cruel acts occurred at training facilities in the Eastern States, it is imperative that the government ensure robust reform at a regulatory level to prevent the widespread cruelty such as we have seen in Queensland.

My colleagues and I have seen evidence of much stronger action from the racing industry in South Australia, which is welcome, and I note that a high level of cooperation from Greyhound Racing SA has been forthcoming, and I commend it for that. The vast majority of those involved in the racing industry are good and honest people. Our support for them should remain as long as they maintain the highest possible standards of animal welfare. Indeed, if this high standard of animal welfare cannot be maintained, then the industry should be under serious investigation and lose its right to operate as an industry.

The government has made an admirable start to prevent the incidence of animal cruelty in the greyhound racing industry, so I do encourage it to work with all stakeholders through law regulation and partnerships with relevant organisations for oversight to be effective. Those of us on this side of the chamber, as we have readily demonstrated time and time again, will always remain committed to the prevention of cruelty to animals. I commend the bill to the house.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (17:22): I put on the record that I am still a registered veterinary surgeon in South Australia, and also I need to put on the record that my daughter Sahra McFetridge is a veterinarian employed by the RSPCA in South Australia. Having said that, I can use that experience of over 20 years in veterinary practice—a lot of veterinary racehorse practice in thoroughbred and harness practice.

I had some overlap into the other arm of racing, and that is the greyhound racing. I used to actively discourage dog breeders, and I certainly can say that I did not encourage greyhound owners. The witchcraft that still goes on in racing, both in horses and dogs, still amazes me—the muscle who get in there, the chiropractors. There is a lot of mystique.

There is a lot of tradition that has gone on for many years that people still to this day believe will make that horse run faster, that dog run faster. Let me tell members: there are some horses that I looked at and the only race they were going to win was against a greyhound. But, even then, having said that, some of those greyhounds and the way they were being trained, being treated, was an interesting area.

Can I say that in all the years of experience and the hundreds of greyhounds I did come across, I only ever came across one greyhound that was bad tempered. I do not know what had set this dog off. It was brought into my clinic to be put down. I did. I euthanased the dog, and it was not a pleasant experience for anyone in my practice. Can I say that one of the most unpleasant things a vet can do is to have to euthanase an animal, even though we do it with the very best intentions.

Generally the owners of greyhounds do care for those dogs like any dog owner does. In fact, the public perception out there that greyhounds are four-legged killers is really quite wrong in most cases. They are sighthounds. They have been bred like many other sighthounds—the borzoi, the saluki. There is a whole range of sighthounds being bred to chase, to run down prey. That is a thing of the past. Greyhound racing is a legacy of that, when dogs were set upon prey for the purpose of hunting for human sustenance, for nutrition, for humans to be able to eat.

Greyhound racing now is a completely different area of entertainment for people and it is very highly professional, but the vast majority of greyhound owners are devoted to their dogs, would do nothing to harm their dogs, and they want their dogs to perform and so being mentally and physically fit is the ultimate for them. There are a few out there who still go back to the 'witchdoctory' of the past, who think that blooding the dog is going to make it more enthusiastic about chasing down their prey, make that dog run that bit faster and win them a bit of money. There is not a lot of money in greyhound racing. It is one of those areas that I am continually puzzled about, that the industry is able to continue with such low prize money.

There are people who do go out there and indulge in these horrific practices—and that is the only way I can describe them—of live baiting greyhounds, and it is not something that anyone who is a sane and rational person can condone in any way, shape or form. I did hear rumours years ago about live baiting on a track near the airport in my electorate. There is a track that is used for training greyhounds. It is a straight track, not bullring, but a straight track. I made inquiries about that, and I was 100 per cent confident that that was not the case. The need to make sure that we are 100 per cent confident about the issue of live baiting is so important. We need this legislation passed and we need it passed today, and I hope that is the case.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (17:26): I rise to support the Animal Welfare (Live Baiting) Amendment Bill 2015. As our lead speaker and other speakers have said so well, we support this bill. We certainly support animal welfare at all levels. When people saw what was aired on the Four Corners program on 16 February this year—a program entitled Making a Killing—it certainly shocked many, and rightly so. It was only 10 days later that we on this side announced and tabled our own bill targeting live baiting in this state.

In regard to how greyhound racing is managed in this state, monitoring and enforcement is undertaken by Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA). In regard to the airing of the program, the focus has been on the care and welfare of greyhounds rather than the detection of animal cruelty associated with greyhound training. As the member for Chaffey explained earlier, there were not any known cases in this state, but there were allegations that some dogs from this state had been trained interstate using live baiting. Greyhound Racing South Australia's existing registration system requires that all trainers and facilities be licensed and subject to random inspection, as you would expect, and penalties for breaches can attract fines of up to $50,000 and lifetime bans from the sport.

I was just having a brief conversation with the member for Bright about this and about people who own and raise dogs, and I certainly have some in my community. It is a sport that people get involved in, and they are very passionate about it and sometimes they cannot understand it when they get reported for a breach of their licence. I remember a long-running conversation that I had with a constituent—and I think I have written to one or two ministers about it over time. He was actually standing up for a previous trainer who had passed away, and he still was not happy with what he thought was an injustice. They are passionate people, but all things need to be operated properly and effectively and, in this state and this nation, the welfare of animals is paramount and people need to be aware of that.

The prosecution, enforcement and monitoring of laws under the Animal Welfare Act 1985 is the responsibility of the RSPCA and South Australian police, and obviously that includes alleged incidents of cruelty to animals. On 23 March this year, the government announced a package of measures to target live baiting in South Australia based on the recommendations of the working group of GRSA, RSPCA South Australia, SAPOL and Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources animal welfare officers.

The legislative response, which is obviously what we are debating now, seeks to amend the Animal Welfare Act 1985 to create new offences for live baiting, releasing an animal from captivity for the purpose of it being hunted or killed, selling or supplying an animal for the purpose of live baiting and keeping an animal for the purpose of live baiting.

These offences form part of proposed new section 14—Prohibited activities, which will replace the current section 14, which only refers to organised animal fights. The maximum penalties in this section are being increased from $20,000 or imprisonment for two years to a penalty of $50,000 or imprisonment for four years. The new maximum penalties are consistent with other sections of the act, for instance, section 13—Ill treatment of animals.

The other critical part of the whole response in regard to greyhounds' welfare is beefing up GRSA's inspectorate, refocusing it to include detection of potential animal bait cruelty and improving protocols with the RSPCA and South Australian police. A range of actions arising from this are as follows: greater detail to be recorded in the GRSA licensing system, for instance, the location and usage of bull rings and all private racing facilities and adopting the use of 'nearmap'; increasing GRSA's animal welfare and compliance staff from one to four and improving training, including in covert detection methods; increasing the inspection rate of premises (previously on average once every two years); and better protocols between GRSA stewards and RSPCA SA and South Australian police.

As the member for Kaurna indicated earlier, Greyhound Racing SA is examining the use of aerial drones and surveillance at private racing facilities, trial tracks and registered tracks. I note that bull ring licensing, while not to be subject to government licensing, will receive specific scrutiny through improved Greyhound Racing SA inspectorate processes. All these new offences are contained within the amendments to the act in this bill.

I would just like to say that, from what I have seen over time regarding live baiting, Greyhound Racing SA responded quite promptly. I think they knew that the survival of their sport—their total survival—was something they needed to deal with because, as we know in this place, perception often wins the day. A perception that live baiting was carried out in a regular manner across South Australia would probably have meant the end of the greyhound industry.

We have obviously had discussions in this place before about other matters including the welfare of animals. I was on the Select Committee on Dogs and Cats as Companion Animals. We had feedback and witness evidence in regard to puppy farms and the like, and that is certainly something that could have the potential to happen with greyhounds.

I think this is sensible legislation. I think something like this is for anyone who loves animals. I come off the land and have a love of animals because, when you rely on those animals to make your living, you look after them. If you do not look after them, you pay the price in several ways. From this side of the house, I commend the bill, and I commend greyhound racing for being proactive from what I have seen along the way. I think they realise if they were not proactive, there would have been real consequences for this sport in South Australia. I commend the bill.

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for the Public Sector) (17:35): I thank all members for their contributions to this debate and for their support in amending the Animal Welfare Act 1985 to ensure that the law is very clear. Any person who uses an animal as live bait to train a greyhound or any person who assists in such activity is in breach of the act and the penalties for such a breach will be severe.

I am sure that all members were as horrified as I was when the Four Corners program exposing this barbaric practice in the Eastern States was aired. It is totally unacceptable to Greyhound Racing South Australia and the South Australian public both here and in the other place. Today we have endorsed a legislative regime which will assist Greyhound Racing SA to ensure that if live baiting occurs in our state it stops and those responsible will be held to account by both the industry and the courts.

I acknowledge the efforts of Greyhound Racing SA, the RSPCA, ministers Bignell and Hunter, and the government officers who made this possible and also the support of the opposition members. I look forward to His Excellency the Governor proclaiming this bill.

Bill read a second time.

Third Reading

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for the Public Sector) (17:37): I move:

That this bill be read a third time.

Bill read a third time and passed.