Stop The Q

The Q greyhound racing facility near Ipswich in Queensland was meant to be a turning point for animal welfare in Queensland. Instead, just months after its launch, at least twelve greyhounds have died following catastrophic injuries at the $86 million venue, and dozens more have been injured.

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The Q is fast becoming a symbol of everything that’s broken in greyhound racing.

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How Did We Get Here?

In October 2019, Racing Minister Stirling Hinchliffe announced that the Palaszczuk Government would build the Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre at a cost of $39 million to taxpayers. The project was promoted as a state-of-the-art facility, claiming animal welfare would be central to its design. It was to be the only venue in Australia with three types of tracks: a straight, a two-turn, and a one-turn track¹.

To fast-track approval, the development was declared a ‘Ministerial Infrastructure Designation’, effectively bypassing local government oversight and placing full decision-making authority with then-Planning Minister, Steven Miles.

In February 2022, the project was opened to public consultation. It received over 10,000 objections—approximately 3,000 from Ipswich residents alone. Despite this, in September 2022, then Racing Minister, Grace Grace announced the project had been approved and construction would proceed.

“Racing Queensland is engaging with experts in track design and injury prevention in order to build a Centre that is as safe for dogs and trainers as possible²”, she said.

By August 2024, state budget documents revealed the project’s cost had more than doubled, ballooning from $39 million to $85 million.

In March 2025, trial runs began at the newly named ‘The Q’—and dogs began being killed.

A Track Built on Broken Promises

The Q was constructed to replace the Albion Park and Ipswich Showgrounds tracks, both which have long been criticised for appalling safety records. At the Ipswich Showground tracks alone, between 2020 and 2025, 41 greyhounds were killed and more than 2,500 were injured, including 453 classified as “major” injuries³.

The response from government and industry was to invest in a new, purpose-built facility. The Q was touted as a solution — with an advanced curved design, multiple track layouts, and modern infrastructure. Racing Queensland called it a “game-changer” for greyhound safety and “the most significant animal welfare reform in a generation.” The government echoed the sentiment, justifying the $86 million price tag as an investment in both safety and sport.

Dogs Were Dying Before It Even Officially Opened

Despite its promises, the facility’s tragic record began before the first race was even run. In March 2025, The Q held two days of official trials. Over just those two days, two greyhounds sustained hock fractures and were euthanised⁴.

During a soft launch period in early April, another dog was fatally injured⁵.

And on 25 April 2025, a dog named Feed Him Mungo suffered a fractured hind foot during a race. He was euthanised ten days later. The track was still not officially open.

By early May — before its formal public launch — seven dogs had died following injuries sustained at The Q⁶.

This information was not voluntarily disclosed by Racing Queensland or the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission (QRIC). It was uncovered through stewards’ reports and confirmed by media outlets and greyhound advocacy groups.

The Death Toll Rises

Since racing officially commenced at The Q, at least five more dogs have died, bringing the total to at least twelve greyhounds in less than four months.

These dogs died in the very facility that was supposed to protect them. A track promoted as a new benchmark in welfare. A venue funded with tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.

If The Q is the best that greyhound racing can offer, then it is time to ask: is any form of this industry truly safe?

A Safer Track for Whom?

While officials celebrate The Q as a milestone, at least twelve dogs have lost their lives, and dozens more have been injured — all while simply doing what they were forced to do: race.

This is not innovation. This is not progress. This is the same cruelty, dressed up in shiny, new, expensive infrastructure.

Demand Accountability at The Q

The Greater Brisbane Greyhound Centre — known as The Q — was built on promises of reform, safety, and animal welfare. But for at least twelve greyhounds, those promises have meant nothing. These dogs have suffered and died at Queensland’s newest, most expensive greyhound racing venue.

If we measure a system by how it treats its most vulnerable, then greyhound racing — even in its most modern form — has failed once again.

It’s time for action. It’s time for accountability.

Take Action!

What We’re Calling For

🔍 Full Transparency
Immediate release of all injury and death data from The Q — including trials and training sessions.

🎥 Public Access to Footage
Mandatory archiving and public release of all race and trial footage.
No editing or removal of incidents involving injury or death.

🕵️ Independent Oversight
A full safety audit carried out by an independent animal welfare authority — not those with ties to the racing industry.

⏳ A Long-Term Exit Strategy
A clear, publicly announced timeline to phase out greyhound racing in Queensland.

What We Are Doing

Protesting Queensland’s Death Track – At the grand opening of ‘The Q’ greyhound racing facility near Ipswich in Queensland, more than 100 dedicated voices came together to deliver one powerful message: we will not stay silent while greyhounds continue to suffer.
Supporters travelled from across Queensland—from the Sunshine Coast to the Northern Rivers—to stand united in honour of the eight dogs who have already lost their lives and the many more who have been injured before the track had even officially opened.

We are deeply grateful to our allies—Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds, Friends of the Hound, and Animal Welfare League Queensland—for standing with us.

Stop The Q’ Billboard

To raise public awareness, we’ve unveiled a bold 12-metre billboard just 4km from The Q racing facility—calling on the local community to speak up and demand urgent change for greyhounds. This powerful message is impossible to ignore, but we need your help to keep it up.

Every dollar donated to our crowdfunder helps us maintain this billboard and amplify the call to shut down The Q and hold the greyhound racing industry accountable.

👉 Support the campaign here: https://chuffed.org/project/stoptheq-forthegreyhounds

Together, we can make sure the voices of the greyhounds—and those who care about them—are seen and heard.

***Billboard design courtesy of Florence Design Studio***

Help Us Hold Them Accountable

This campaign is about more than The Q. It’s about challenging a system that continues to put profit before animal lives — and demanding a future where cruelty is no longer masked as sport.

✅ Write to the Racing Minister and the Premier (below)
📣 Share the facts
💬 Contact your MP

Together, we can end greyhound racing in Queensland.

Deaths at The Q Timeline

July 23 Q2 Parklands trials resume
🪦 July 22 (Q1) Cool Hand Rio
July 5 Q2 Parklands track suspended, deemed ‘unsuitable for racing’
🪦 June 28 (Q2) Beau Ripple
June 26 Q Straight first race
🪦 June 16 (Q2) Divided By Nine
🪦 June 16 (Q2) Texas Wedge
🪦 June 16 (Q1) Spring Freya
June 14 Q Straight trials
June 7 Official Opening
🪦 May 17 (Q1) Travis’s Scrub
🪦 May 15 (approx.) (Q2) Hara’s Mickey
May 8 Q2 Parklands first race
🪦 April 25 (Q1) Feed Him Mungo
🪦 April 21 (Q1) Federal Recall
April 4 Q1 Lakeside first race
🪦 March 24-25 (Q1) He’s Whistling
🪦 March 24-25 (Q1) Unknown name
🪦 March 24-25 (Q1) Unknown name
March 24-25 Q1 Lakeside trials begin