Dogs Gone? Baird’s Promise: Wentworth Park to be a ‘Community Space’

Ted McKeown (Glebe Society President and former Chairman of the Wentworth Park Trust) writes:

The decision by the Premier to ban greyhound racing in New South Wales from 1 July 2017 is generally seen, in Humphrey-speak, as a ‘courageous decision’, and only time will tell whether it survives the tortuous parliamentary process. It certainly came as a complete surprise to the greyhound racing industry, as well as to peripheral bodies such as the Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Trust. I was the Chairman of the Trust until its three-year appointment expired on 26 May, when it was replaced by an Administrator.

Mr Baird claims that he and his Cabinet colleagues have all read the report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Greyhound Racing Industry in NSW which was eventually presented to the Governor by Commissioner Michael McHugh on 16 June. I can only claim to have skimmed it – it runs to three volumes plus eight appendices, a grand total of 996 pages – but its principal recommendation is clear enough:

Given the findings of the Commission concerning the management and governance of the greyhound racing industry, the Parliament of New South Wales should consider whether the industry has lost its social licence and should no longer be permitted to operate in NSW.

However, the very next sentence reads: ‘If the industry is permitted to continue, the Commission makes the following recommendations’, followed by 79 detailed and specific recommendations concerning the future management and governance of the industry.

Reading between the lines, I think everyone, including perhaps the Commissioner himself, thought that a complete ban on greyhound racing in the State might be seen as a step too far. But that is apparently not how the Cabinet saw it.

Certainly, the decision has polarised popular opinion. The usual suspects are there of course – greyhound breeders, owners and trainers on the one hand, and animal welfare organisations on the other. But if the news media are to be believed, the Opposition has been drawn into supporting the continuation of greyhound racing to the dismay of many of its supporters, and the Government itself is by no means united behind the Premier. It promises to be an interesting few months in Macquarie Street!

Should we care? Members of The Glebe Society will have differing views about whether greyhound racing should be banned, but I think we can all agree about what should happen when the dogs leave Wentworth Park (if that is indeed the final outcome).

Since at least 1878, Wentworth Park has been dedicated in perpetuity as ‘a park or place for public recreation’

Mr Baird has clearly indicated that greyhound tracks in Government ownership (such as Wentworth Park) will not be ‘developed into residential or high rise’. That is something to be happy about. But he goes on to say ‘for the government owned sites – including Wentworth Park – I can’t be any clearer. They will be used for community space. We will consult with the community about what this looks like, but it may include open space or sports facilities or even things like schools if appropriate. This will be decided in consultation with the relevant communities.’

Let’s hope we don’t have to man the barricades on this one.

As always, the devil will be in the detail. Since at least 1878, Wentworth Park has been dedicated in perpetuity as ‘a park or place for public recreation’. We would have no objection to the dog racing track and oval being converted to a general sporting field with a modest grandstand like the Alan Davidson Oval in Sydney Park or the Reg Bartley Oval in Rushcutters Bay Park. But if ‘community space’ were interpreted to include other exclusive uses, such as a permanent school site, I believe we would not be happy.

Arguing against a school is like arguing against motherhood and apple pie, but as always this is a matter of competing priorities. The Government appears to be set on redeveloping Ultimo Public School on its existing site rather than moving it to the far more suitable (though apparently contaminated) Council Depot site in Wattle St. There is a proposal to move the school into temporary accommodation on Wentworth Park while its present site is redeveloped, and I do not believe that would meet with significant community opposition provided the site was remediated on the school’s departure. But if a park was important enough to be dedicated in perpetuity nearly 150 years ago, it is absolutely vital now.

Let’s hope we don’t have to man the barricades on this one.