Greyhound Racing Victoria has announced the appointment of an Industry Consultative Group (ICG), which will build on the relationship between greyhound owners, trainers and clubs; and the Board of GRV.
Chair of the GRV Board, Bernie Carolan, today announced the appointment of the 11-person group, to be chaired by GRV Deputy Chair Judith Bornstein.
The functions of the ICG are to advise the Board on matters concerning greyhound racing and welfare, and to facilitate consultation between the Board, participants in the sport and associations.
Mr Carolan said “The ICG includes representatives from across the sport, including owners, trainers, breeders, greyhound clubs and a veterinarian. There is also a good spread of representation from all over Victoria, so that views of regional and metropolitan operators will be heard equally.”
“GRV sought nominations from the industry in November and December, and the interest in the group was very encouraging. It’s clear that the greyhound racing industry is as committed as GRV to strengthening greyhound racing and welfare.”
In addition the Greyhound Racing Victoria CEO and GRV General Counsel will attend the meetings as required. The ICG has the authority to invite other stakeholders to attend meetings as needed.
“Greyhound racing and welfare is of significant value to the state of Victoria” he added. “The sport generates more than $70 million to the economy and in 2014 returned more than $40 million in winnings to owners; and participation in the sport is growing each year.”
“Greyhound welfare is always our first operating principle. The ICG shares this belief and much of the work we do will be dedicated to identifying and implementing the best possible welfare management codes.”
The Board has appointed the following people to the GRV Industry Consultative Group:
Judith Bornstein (Chairperson) – GRV Board
John Martin – Clubs nominee
Marg Long – Clubs nominee
Barbara Backhoy – Veterinarian nominee
Sandra Reed – GOTBAV nominee
Peter Craig – Participant nominee
Leanne Crawford – Participant nominee
Daniel Nugent – Participant nominee
Steven Clarke – Participant nominee
Tracey Corneille – Participant nominee
Duane Dalton – Participant nominee
It is expected that the ICG will meet every second month commencing later in February, and that they will be asked to provide consultation to the Board regarding issues and opportunities identified by either party.
Mr Carolan added “Given the circumstances the sport has addressed in the past 12 months, the ICG has a busy agenda and is an integral part of the reformation of Greyhound racing and welfare in Victoria.”
Mr Carolan said the Board was appreciative and impressed by the significant number of people who expressed interest in the membership of the ICG and is looking forward to a long association.