Victoria Launches $2 Million Digital Tracking Program To Enhance Greyhound Welfare

Victoria’s greyhound welfare is set for a significant boost with the government’s introduction of the Whole of Life Digital Tracking Program. 

The initiative, announced by Minister for Racing Anthony Carbines, aims to track the location and health of registered greyhounds, from birth through their racing careers and into retirement.

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Information will be collected from owners, trainers, vets, and Greyhound Racing Victoria (GRV) staff, collecting currently manually managed data across multiple platforms.

“This system will revolutionise the way that registered greyhounds are tracked across the industry, providing realtime updates on the status of an animal at every key touchpoint.” Mr Carbines said. 

He said the new system is “revolutionary” and will offer real-time updates at every key touchpoint.

“We are backing Greyhound Racing Victoria to improve its oversight of a greyhound’s health throughout their life, as part of our work to continually improve welfare outcomes for all animals.”

The government will contribute over $1.6 million, with GRV adding $418,000 to support the project.

GRV CEO Stuart Laing emphasised the program’s potential to enhance welfare oversight. 

“This digital program will increase the number of check-in points for tracking greyhounds throughout their lives, improving our capabilities to monitor their welfare.

Victoria’s greyhound racing industry contributes $643 million to the economy and supports over 4,700 full-time jobs. 

Mr Carines said the digital tracking system is part of the government’s commitment to enhancing animal welfare standards in the industry.

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