By Kirsty Needham and State Political Editor
- Baird announces ban on greyhound racing
- Live blog: how news of the ban unfolded
- Read the full inquiry report
When Premier Mike Baird met with the Animal Justice Party three weeks ago, the mood had changed.
It was only the second time the Animal Justice MLC for NSW, Mark Pearson, had talked with Baird.
Baird told him it was clear that animal welfare was a new and serious concern for the community, and his election to Parliament in 2015 had opened a new chapter in politics.
The pair discussed animal rights issues, touching briefly on the fact the government was yet to respond to the greyhound special commission of inquiry.
Greyhounds racing at Sydney's Wentworth Park.Credit: Craig Golding
Pearson walked out thinking Baird had changed, and it was a response to the strong public interest in animal welfare. But he had no idea of the bombshell to come.
"A total ban - it was a surprise. I am very impressed," Pearson said on Thursday.
During his press conference to outline the shutdown of the greyhound racing industry because of its "barbaric practices", and "culture of deception", Baird paid tribute to another animal rights activist - the late Greens MLC John Kaye.
Kaye died before the greyhound inquiry's report was released, but its impact will surely be remembered as his political legacy.
"It wasn't a conspiracy theory. He was right. I didn't pay as much attention as I should," said Baird.
The bombshell report considered by NSW Cabinet on Thursday morning left ministers with no choice but to shut down the industry, insiders said.
Baird and Deputy Premier Troy Grant outlined the case, and there was no opposition to the course of action chosen. The public would not accept anything else, they believed.
The industry had been given endless chances to clean up and had simply covered up. Baird only had to read the executive summary of Michael McHugh's report, with its catalogue of death, once.
The warning had been there for the industry.
On the eve of the 2015 state election, Baird had said "absolutely everything is on the table" to ensure scenes of live baiting weren't repeated.
The Special Commission of Inquiry was announced six weeks out from the election. The public was horrified by footage shown on ABC TVs Four Corners. The board and chief executive of Greyhound Racing NSW were forced to resign.
For Kaye, it seemed that finally the Baird government was taking action. How times had changed.
Two years earlier, the Greens had set up a parliamentary inquiry.
But when the government-dominated committee reported, Kaye blasted it for glossing over critical evidence on the mistreatment of dogs and live baiting. Animal welfare had been put in the "too hard basket" and Greyhounds NSW had "dodged a bullet", he said.
But Kaye warned the evidence uncovered, of an industry operating outside the boundaries of community standards, couldn't be ignored.
He was right. And Baird didn't miss that the public anger that erupted in the wake of the Four Corners exposé was politically potent, and swept a new minor party into Parliament.