Amid calls for sweeping reform, there remains bipartisan support for greyhound racing to continue in Victoria. 

Community outcry has been significant in recent months, on the back of the Tasmanian Government’s decision to phase out and stop funding the industry by June 2029.

Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the industry no longer aligns with “community expectations”, signalling a change in public attitudes towards the industry. 

But a similar sentiment has not emerged in the halls of power in Victoria. 

This state records more than 2,200 on-track injuries and 33 deaths this year, the most in Australia.

Take, for example, 21-month-old greyhound Honey Blitz, who fell with two other dogs during a race, suffering a foreleg fracture. The dog was euthanised on the track, according to the Geelong steward's report in July.

Despite these statistics, the Victorian Labor Government continues to support greyhound racing, along with the state Opposition.

Most recently, the Government announced a $4 million investment to reopen the Cranbourne greyhound racing track in 2026. 

The track has been closed since 2022, after one dog was killed and three others injured when the lure system faulted. 

Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines said the new track will have bolstered safety systems. 

“[It will have] world-class facilities and improved safety measures,” Carbines said.

A similar investment was made by the Victorian Government in 2021 towards the construction of the Traralgon greyhound track.

The state government contributed $3 million to the track, which had a J-curve design to improve safety.

The new Cranbourne track will not have a J-curve design, but animal welfare experts, such as Steve Cook, the Victorian Director of the Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, question whether greyhound tracks can be safe at all.  

“No track can be made safe. The advanced new track at Traralgon was closed due to the high number of deaths and injuries,” Cook said. 

“The community no longer wants their taxes propping up an industry that kills and maims greyhounds and contributes to the annual $14 billion social cost of gambling.”

Cook also believes that the gambling industry plays a significant role in the continuation of the sport. 

“The fundamental reason for greyhounds racing and dying on Victorian tracks is to boost the profits of the multinational gambling firms,” Cook said. 

“If greyhound racing can't survive without public money then it should wind down, like any business.”

Despite the safety concerns for dogs, economic benefits underpin the Victorian Government's continued support for the industry.

According to Carbines, greyhound racing in Victoria generates more than $844 million in economic benefits each year and helps sustain more than 4,800 full-time equivalent jobs.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell is another advocate for the discontinuation of the sport. 

The MP commissioned the Parliamentary Budget Office to investigate potential savings by ending greyhound racing in Victoria. It found that the Victorian Government would save almost half a billion dollars over the next decade if it stopped subsidising the industry.

“It is deeply shameful that the Victorian Labor Government continues to throw taxpayer funds at the greyhound death industry,” Purcell said.

“Everyone knows the parlous state of Victoria’s finances, so it adds insult to injury that the hard-earned cash of Victorian taxpayers is being wasted on propping up a flailing industry that has completely lost its social licence.” 

But the industry is supported across the aisles in the Victorian Parliament.

Shadow Minister for Racing Tim Bull said that the Coalition supports the industry that has made improvements in welfare.

“[The] Greyhound Racing Integrity and Welfare unit conducted close to 3500 property inspections in 2024-25, visiting every property where there’s a registered greyhound in an unprecedented integrity sweep,” Bull said. 

“In further improvements, GRV’s (Greyhound Racing Victoria's) plans to have a digital greyhound lifecycle tracking program fully implemented in 2026. It will provide improved oversight and transparency of greyhounds throughout all lifecycle stages.”

In total, 274 greyhounds have died on Victorian racetracks over the past five years and Victoria continues to have significantly more on-track deaths compared with other states.