State-owned racing operator Tasracing has a long-standing policy of editing greyhound race videos on its website to remove vision of dogs being injured or killed, the ABC has reported. The practice means the public viewing official race replays would not see incidents that result in injury or euthanasia.
An ABC News report from September 2022 stated the practice had been in place since 2011. At the time, Tasracing confirmed it did not believe it should broadcast such incidents. The policy was criticised by opponents of the industry as a “cover-up” that reduced transparency about the frequency of injuries and deaths.
The issue of animal welfare has remained central to the debate over the industry. In May 2026, the Tasmanian Greens released figures obtained under Right to Information from Tasracing showing 24 ex-racing greyhounds had died in the past year, with 19 of those deaths occurring since the beginning of 2026. The data, according to the Greens, listed nine of the 24 deaths as “unknown causes”.
These figures have been released in the context of a government decision to wind down the industry. In August 2025, Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced that the Tasmanian Government will phase out greyhound racing entirely by 30 June 2029, which coincides with the end of the current funding agreement. Following the announcement, the government tasked the Tasmanian Racing Integrity Commissioner with developing a transition plan and established a Parliamentary Committee to oversee the process.
The decision to end the sport followed a sustained campaign from animal welfare groups and political pressure. The RSPCA has been a vocal critic, highlighting the risks to animals. The animal welfare organisation has previously cited figures that in 2021, 15 greyhounds were killed on Tasmanian tracks and 367 were injured.
Tasracing publishes quarterly reports on breeding, injury and retirement statistics on its website. According to the state-owned company, this data is derived from on-track veterinarians and race-day stewards’ reports.
The original ABC News report that highlighted the video editing policy can be found on the ABC News website.