The Big Grey Film

The Big Grey Film will investigate allegations of systemic animal welfare and social issues surrounding the greyhound racing and gambling industries and the significant harm reportedly caused to dogs and the public.

Australians loves dogs, boasting an average of 1.3 dogs per household and the world’s largest greyhound racing industry, worth over 40 billions dollars annually. Most Aussies, however, are unaware of the racing industry’s potential risks to dogs and the public.

Industry reports reveal multiple on-track deaths and hundreds of injuries to dogs each week. These and other ongoing animal welfare scandals have resulted in current government inquiries into the industry and mounting global pressure, putting the sport at risk of being shut down.

The film will conduct an unprecedented journalistic investigation into these issues, as well as allegations of taxpayer funding, self-regulation and corruption, and explore potential for positive reforms.

Australia has an average of 1.3 dogs per household and 87 percent of Australians strongly believe that animals should be protected by animal welfare legislation. Despite this, however, greyhound racing industry reports the injury and death of hundreds of dogs every week.

The greyhound racing industry faces mounting public and government pressure, due to ongoing animal welfare scandals, resulting in its shutdown in all but 6 countries worldwide.

This documentary aims to investigate the dangers posed to both animals and the public by greyhound racing, weighing this with the love and benefits of the sport, and explore positive reforms to benefits these stakeholders at large.

Like most Australians, I share a cultural and emotional kinship to dogs. They are more than just pets, they are our best mates and family members. My hope is that by meeting on common ground (mutual love for dogs) agreements can be reached and positive outcomes can be formed for the betterment of dogs within and after the racing industry.

I aim to take an observational journalistic approach to these issues, allowing for voices to be heard from each side of the track, in order to unravel the complex personal, cultural, and governmental factors involved.

The film will directly respond to questions posed by the current parliamentary inquiries into the industry, public scrutiny, and letters written to our government, from global lawmakers, urging them consider greyhound racing’s costs.

I also hope that looking through the gentle, soulful eyes of the greyhound allows the audience to reflect on broader issues of equality, liberty and morality.

Significant access and expressions of interest have been gained into the industry, audiences and collaborators involved in this film’s story, throughout the production of my short film about greyhounds and pre-production for this film.

Australian media personalities, greyhound trainers and official industry spokespeople, politicians, greyhound foster carers, advocacy groups and rescue organisations, as well as industry insiders and whistleblowers.

This includes access to current industry operations, parliamentary findings and regulations, vast libraries of archival footage and a journalistic range of interviews.

This film will promote calls and actionable solutions for positive cultural, legislative and operational reforms, to benefit animals and the public:
– It will ask the public to foster/adopt one of the thousands of greyhounds discarded by the industry every year, call on the industry and government for reform, and support greyhound advocacy organisations.
– It will call on the government to reduce the harm caused to animals by improving industry transparency and regulation, and reduce the harm to the public by exploring non-taxpayer funding options and reforms to online gambling.
– It will call on the industry figureheads, trainers and policy makers to improve animal welfare conditions.