The New South Wales racing minister, David Harris, has ordered a review of a greyhound rehoming facility in Wyee after current and former staff raised serious concerns about animal welfare, including claims dogs had been injured at the centre.
Staff also raised allegations with Guardian Australia last month concerning the culture at the agency that governs greyhound racing in the state after it abruptly shut down the Wyee facility – one of just two adoption centres for ex-racing dogs in NSW.
Workers at the greyhound adoption program in Wyee were fired last month, the same day the Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) chief executive, Rob Macaulay, announced the agency would cut 30% from its budget in the next financial year.
The Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission has been asked to review allegations about the greyhound accommodation, alleged injuries to greyhounds and GRNSW management’s response to concerns raised by staff at the facility.
The gaming and racing minister, David Harris, said the public needed to have confidence the industry was “being run with the highest standards of animal welfare, integrity and sustainability”.
“While GRNSW is not a government organisation, with its CEO and board responsible for its operation, I’ve received information relating to Wyee and the welfare of greyhounds under its care,” he said.
“These allegations require further review, as they have the potential to undermine public trust and integrity in the industry.”
He said the regulator was the best placed to undertake the investigation and report back to him for “consideration of any appropriate next steps”.
Last month Macaulay said savings would include staff redundancies, as well as “re-purposing” the greyhound adoption program’s kennels in Wyee into a facility for retired greyhounds enrolled in the GRNSW program to rehome dogs in the US.
He said there would be “no negative impact on animal welfare” as a result of the cuts. But staff who spoke with Guardian Australia on and off the record strongly disagreed, with one claiming “they couldn’t care less about the dogs”.
Sarah Stratford worked part-time at the Wyee facility until she was sacked last month. She said many of the greyhounds would “not cope” with the flight to the US.
A GRNSW spokesperson said at the time that claims they did not care “could not be further from the truth” and that “first and foremost is our care for our animals and the welfare of all greyhounds”.
Stratford said she and her colleagues had told Macaulay and two other executives that they felt the facility was unsafe and badly needed repairs and alleged that some of the greyhounds had suffered injuries, including one dog having “slashed her foot completely open”.
A former staff member alleged the “site was falling apart” and they had raised similar concerns with the executives. Guardian Australia has seen photos of injuries the workers claim the dogs sustained on site.
A GRNSW spokesperson said the facility had never been unsafe and that its “experienced site manager” had a “good budget” for repairs and maintenance.
