DUBBO Greyhound Racing Club president Shayne Stiff is confident the sport has a future in the city.
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Days after the NSW government announced a backflip on plans to shut down the sport in 2017, conjecture has switched to the best way to govern the code.
Premier Mike Baird has indicated a raft of measures will be brought in to eliminate animal cruelty within the industry, with a taskforce headed by former premier Morris Iemma in charge of determining those measures.
One of the structural changes that has been put forward by Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) is a rationalisation of the industry that would see the number of tracks reduced.
In an interview on the “Paul Murray Live” on Tuesday night Member for Dubbo Troy Grant, whose portfolios also include deputy premier and racing minister, said the decision on which tracks closed and which remained open is up to GRNSW.
“That’s not our decision. It never has been and won’t be into the future,” Mr Grant said.
“That’s be a decision for the industry.
“As racing minister I don’t decide which thoroughbred tracks (operate), I don’t decide the harness tracks (operate) and I’ve never decided which greyhound tracks operate.”
Dubbo is one of two TAB tracks within the western districts, and Mr Stiff said he believes the club will remain open.
“We’re pretty lucky here because we own the land we are on, we’re not leasing it and don’t have those costs,” Mr Stiff said of the Dawson Park complex.
“We’re also one of the centres of excellence, and the sport has undergone massive growth here over the past four or five years.
“We’ve gone from being a non-TAB club to a predominantly TAB club, and we’ve had a few meetings under lights here at TAB level.”