Renewed calls have been made for the permanent closure of The Q greyhound track west of Brisbane after two dogs died there within three days, taking the reported death toll at the controversial facility to at least 40.
Dainty Dottie was euthanised after breaking a leg at the Purga track on Friday. Two days earlier, You Tell Her suffered fatal injuries at the same venue.
The Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds said stewards’ reports recorded 1,492 injuries among greyhounds at the three-track complex since trial races began in March last year.
Amy MacMahon, the organisation’s president, called for the $90 million facility, near Ipswich, to be closed immediately.
“The latest shocking death at The Q is another reminder of what a disaster this taxpayer-funded folly has become,” she said.
“Two dogs killed in three days. At least 40 dogs killed since the first trials. There are no limits to the amount of carnage and cruelty that the complex is inflicting on greyhounds.”
Calls for greater scrutiny of The Q
An independent report last year found that flaws in the track’s design had contributed to deaths at the facility. Racing has nevertheless continued, although it was suspended last year after the first fatalities.
MacMahon also called on Racing Queensland and the Queensland government to publish injury figures for January to June 2026, which she said remained unavailable.
“Almost exactly a year ago an investigation into The Q revealed a litany of serious issues. Nothing has changed,” she said. “We can’t give The Q any more chances while it keeps killing dogs.”
Queensland Racing Minister Tim Mander said the Crisafulli government was ensuring animal welfare standards were upheld, while pointing out that the track had been commissioned, designed and built under the former Labor government.
His response did not address questions about whether the government had done enough to protect the animals, whether races could be suspended after a set number of deaths, or what changes had been made to the track’s design.
The Q opened last year. Although it was a Labor initiative, the Liberal National Party government oversaw its opening and has had responsibility during each death at the venue. Racing Queensland was asked for comment.
Jennifer Howard, the Labor MP whose electorate includes Purga, has urged her party to take a ban on greyhound racing to the next election. Labor’s leadership has rejected that position.
Greyhound Racing NSW has proposed a £70 million equivalent, three-track racing and gambling complex at Richmond, west of Sydney, to replace Wentworth Park.
MacMahon said the deaths at The Q should serve as a warning to New South Wales. Greyhound racing was banned in New Zealand in August, while Tasmania has begun moves towards a similar ban.
