CEO’s Monthly Update
Alan Clayton
January 2020
Welcome to the first edition of Greyhound Monthly Victoria for 2020 and to what promises to be another extremely busy year for our sport in Victoria. Before I discuss what’s coming up and what GRV will be focusing on in 2020, there’s a couple of key points we all need to be aware of.
Firstly, preparing for bushfires. GRV has been working with Greyhound Clubs Victoria to make sure all regional clubs are prepared for emergencies. If you are in a high-risk area, I strongly urge you to have a fire plan in place now, which is also a requirement in the Establishment Health Management Plan (EHMP) under the new Code of Practice.
You can visit: www.cfa.vic.gov.au for advice on fire preparedness and contact your local club about locally available services and support. And you should also make sure you’re familiar with GRV’s recently updated Hot Weather and Transport Policies at: greyhoundcare.grv.org.au/policies-and-guidance.
The second key point is the Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds which came into effect at the start of this month. It’s very important in terms of both greyhound welfare and the sport’s reputation that all participants are compliant with the Code. This includes ensuring your greyhounds have a current C5 vaccination from 1 January 2020 and completing your EHMP if you haven’t already done so. To help participants who still need assistance with meeting their compliance obligations, GRV have put in place additional resources for the Code Support Line on 1300 144 360 or email: [email protected]. We have also just released an updated Rehoming Package, available by calling GRV on 03 8329 1100 or at: visiting: greyhoundcare.grv.org.au/rehoming/rehoming-pack with all the information and forms needed to make owner transfers for retiring greyhounds Code compliant. And we’ll soon be announcing additional support for participants who may need help with Code compliance such as completing their EHMPs.
Looking ahead, for 2020 and beyond GRV will be focused on delivering three strategic priorities: Innovation to Drive Revenue; Racing Safety & Greyhound Welfare; and One Industry,
The first priority is about building the sport’s commercial activities to generate more revenue that we can invest industry development, infrastructure and boosting prizemoney and other returns to participants. This will include working with new partners with specialist skills to increase and diversify markets and income streams along with new event and destination promotions.
The Racing Safety & Greyhound Welfare priority will include a 10-year safe racing plan to deliver track and facility upgrades and replacements along with initiatives to encourage and support quality breeding, whelping, education, training and rehomingpractices. A big part of this will be working with participants to achieve genuine self-regulation that’s consistent with community expectations and builds community acceptance.
And our One Industry priority is about developing a shared vision and set of objectives that connects all participants, clubs and all stakeholders as a strong and unified sport with a truly national approach to industry development and promotion. So, you can expect to see a lot of exciting new initiatives being rolled out this year to keep growing our sport as a vibrant, ethical and sustainable code – one that delivers great entertainment and thrills for a growing base of fans and supporters. And final, I’d like to offer my best wishes to you and your families for the New Year.