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In the cash-strapped world of local government, it takes something pretty bad to force a council to turn its back on some easy money.

In the cash-strapped world of local government, it takes something pretty bad to force a council to turn its back on some quick and easy money.

In the case of the NSW city of Orange, two such reasons mean it is now saying “no” to a lucrative deal it once embraced. The first was a people-powered backlash to the toxic greyhound racing scene setting up shop in their city. The second was a feeling local councillors had been deceived by an industry that had overstated the size of its economic impact and its commitment to animal welfare.

The saga began in 2023, when the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association was scouting sites for a $16 million “Centre of Excellence”. It found an abandoned harness racing track on the edge of the booming tree-changer hotspot west of Sydney. The 16 hectares was owned by Orange City Council, and the two parties entered into a deal to flog it off for about $1.6 million. Councillors say they were promised the works: a brilliant new venue that would include a state-of-the-art track, a big function centre and all manner of other bells and whistles. A revenue boost from the sale was a very nice bonus.

But when the development application eventually lobbed, the reality was very different. The new project was effectively a glorified tin shed, and included 112 race day kennels and outdoor seating for just 64 people. A facility first touted as a Centre of Excellence instead promised to merely comply with “minimum standards”, angering some councillors who believed they had been sold a pup.

As part of the application, the breeders and trainers association also submitted a report claiming the industry contributed $19 million to the Central West economy each year – a figure heavily disputed by some economists and one based on statistics more than five years old.

The final insult? The centre of excellence would have a curved track instead of a straight one, which is considered to be much safer for dogs. In just three months in early 2025, the highest rate of greyhound injuries occurred at the turn section of a track. In that time, two greyhounds died during a race or were euthanised on-track due to the catastrophic nature of their injuries, and 42 dogs suffered serious injuries such as major fractures and spinal trauma. A damning 2025 government-commissioned inquiry concluded all new tracks should be straight – a recommendation ignored by breeders, trainers and owners as they pushed ahead with the Orange project.

Meanwhile, the council found itself on the receiving end of a significant backlash from residents who did not want an industry associated with death, injuries and gambling to get a foothold in their town.

“You can now gamble on two flies climbing up the wall online,” Emeritus Professor Bob Meyenn told a council meeting last week. “And in Orange, we have to make a stand. Orange is an exciting community; it has food and wine, families, fun and sport, health and education. We are a really top-class community. But this proposal isn’t Orange.”

Amid the firestorm, Orange City Council last week decided it would oppose the project. Ordinarily, the decision would not cause great ripples outside the Central West. But the decision points to a turnaround of public sentiment towards greyhound racing even in the regions, where it has traditionally enjoyed strong support. The impact of former premier Mike Baird’s proposed greyhound ban in part caused the seat of Orange to fall from the Nationals to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers at a byelection in 2016. Then Nationals leader Troy Grant resigned within days, and Baird within two months.

Neil Jones, a former Greens councillor who formed the Community Before Greyhound Tracks campaign group, says the project is all about expanding broadcasting and online wagering, with no benefit to Orange and massive risk to dogs.

“The Orange community has been presented with a proposal that just doesn’t gel with what the community of Orange expects,” Jones said. He cited a social impact report submitted as part of the development application that ranked the likelihood of gambling-related harm as “high”.

Race meets would be held just once weekly, and they would attract fewer than 100 spectators. “You get more people turning up to a junior soccer game in town,” Jones says.

During a council meeting last week, councillors voted 5-4 to tell the Western Regional Planning Panel that it opposed the development application. The regional panel will have the ultimate say on Tuesday because the project exceeds $5 million in value.

Some councillors wanted to sit on the fence, given council owns the land and any approval or rejection could have financial implications for ratepayers. If the project fails, council might keep some of the deposit the greyhound industry paid for the land but it will miss out on the majority of the sale proceeds. However, Jones and others believe the council could make 10 times as much if the land was used for residential or commercial development.

The likely outcome of Tuesday’s regional planning panel is unclear. While the council opposing the plan is significant, panel members may not be swayed by arguments that the project is a poor use of land and that it is riddled with serious social impacts. The industry also still retains the support of the Minns government.

Friends of the Hound president Lisa White says whatever the outcome, Orange should still be congratulated for sending a message about the industry. “It’s quite incredible that the greyhound racing industry in Australia is still building or proposing to build new tracks when we can see that the global trend has been to end dog racing,” she says.

Greyhound racing ended in Orange more than two decades ago and a track in nearby Bathurst closed in late 2022. Greyhound Racing NSW plans to close several of its 26 tracks over coming years. Despite the downsizing, the industry is still breeding far more dogs than it needs.

White’s charity looks after discarded greyhounds, and the health worker has had about 1200 dogs go through her home over the past two decades. “The community now understands what actually happens with greyhound racing,” she says.

“We’re talking about man’s best friend here. Most Australians consider dogs as family members, not as gambling chips.”

Comment was sought from the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association.

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