THE Canberra Greyhound Racing Club is heading to court to ensure its right to industry funding is retained.

This morning the club formally rejected the ACT government’s proposed ban of racing and declared it will not cooperate with the Transition Taskforce and other measures recommended in the Durkin Inquiry.

In a prepared statement the club says: “The government’s announcement of a ban is the 14th policy change in 12 months, ranging from minor shifts to completely contradictory.

“The ban announced by Minister Gordon Ramsay is a complete reversal of his announcement in March this year that greyhound racing would remain legal.

“It also contradicts a statement by former Racing Minister Mick Gentleman in August, 2016, that government policy did not include a ban. Chief Minister Andrew Barr also said in October last year that a ban was pointless.

“The CGRC will now take legal action to fight the Government’s proposals.”

The club says the funding of the greyhound industry is not a “subsidy” or a “grant” as described by the ACT Greens and recently characterised by the government.

“The money provided to the CGRC is a component of racing industry funding, defined in law as comprising the three codes of thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing,” the club’s media statement says.

“It is an income stream now delivered through the Budget as a mechanism to replace the funds previously delivered by ACTTAB when the gambling agency was government-owned. It was paid in recognition of the product the CGRC provided for the gambling agency, which sees millions of dollars pour into the ACT Treasury.

“The ACT Government still receives a significant income from gambling revenue since the sale of ACTTAB, but it does not reveal the amounts despite constant questioning.

“The CGRC will commence legal action to ensure their right to industry funding is retained.”

The club says it will also fight any proposed ban of the racing industry as proposed in the recent Durkin Inquiry into greyhound racing in the ACT.

“The Inquiry recommends legislation to ban racing, but neglects the need for the Gambling and Racing Commission to conduct an independent inquiry under section 36 of the Racing Act 1999,” the club says.

“While legal action cannot commence on this front until legislation is sighted, the CGRC is prepared to take on a long and expensive legal fight, even if it means fighting the ban on constitutional grounds, including section 92 that invalidates legislation that prevents free trade across state borders.”