🚨 MEDIA RELEASE - PAUL LENNON (FORMER TASMANIAN PREMIER)
Greyhound racing ban bill condemned as "fact-free attack on expendable Tasmanians."
Paul Lennon, former Tasmanian Premier has come out swinging against the Bill to ban greyhound racing in Tasmania that is being debated in the Legislative Council this week.
“I encourage every member of the Legislative Council to reject this Bill completely.
"This is yet another attack on what politicians and middle-class urbanites see as “expendable Tasmanians."
“The people who will be hit hardest are those with the least political power: small trainers, regional families, volunteers and participants who quietly keep the sport alive.
"These are the expendables, the people politicians think won't or can't fight back. But treating them as collateral damage has consequences. You can already see it in recent polling: voters who feel ignored don't disappear, they go looking for someone who will speak up for them."
"Just days after giving firm written commitments of support to the greyhound racing and the salmon industry, Jeremy Rockliff chucked them under the bus to save his own political skin.
"And people were right to ask: what next? They didn't have to wait long.
"Without any consultation or notice, the Rockliff Liberal Government closed Tasmania's favourite fishery on the eve of Easter. Interestingly, the closed areas all happen to be in Peter George's electorate," he said.
"Political discourse is changing and facts are being jettisoned for expediency. Peddling mis-information is the new norm leaving Tasmanians questioning why they should trust the traditional political parties.
"No one should be surprised that on the back of these sell outs that Tasmanians are walking away from traditional parties and towards One Nation and the experience of greyhound racing perfectly encapsulates the broader trend.
“It is sad and frustrating to watch some people and politicians line up to support a greyhound racing ban when the evidence, the cold hard facts, paint such a different picture to the demonising campaign that has been waged against them," he said.
"Animal welfare is at the forefront of greyhound racing and Minister Howlett's own response to parliament belled the cat.
"There has been one substantiated welfare breach relating to greyhound animal welfare in the last 12 months. Just one. And less than 1% of greyhounds were euthanaised during the same period.
"If euthanasia rates are evidence of animal welfare standards we need to be asking questions of both the Dogs Home of Tasmania and the RSPCA whose euthanasia rates are around 20% - 20 times greater than for greyhounds.
"The facts prove the lie of Jeremy Rockliff's sell out of greyhound racing.
"Tasmanians are being played by those pushing a long-running ideological campaign, and by those willing to sacrifice an entire community to protect their own political skin," he concluded.
Ends
Paul Lennon
0418 584 899
@adriansal80 Well they will reap what they sow. I normally do two weekends of footy games when I do my yearly pilgrimage to Melbourne. Not bothering this year with the Blues struggling and neither is my Bombers mate. So instead of 4 blokes going to 4 or 5 games we are planning 1 this year