Harassment and abuse have gone unchecked in Victoria’s racing industry, with victims subjected to “ritualised violence” and physical and sexual assaults, the racing watchdog has found.
However, the sense of community has led to an “environment where harassment, abuse and assault have taken place unchecked”, the report said. Children as young as 12 and young recruits were among the victims, and some of the abuse took place in recent years, the review found. The Victorian racing minister, Anthony Carbines, said the allegations from victims were unacceptable and deeply distressing.The chief executive of Greyhound Racing Victoria, Stuart Laing, apologised to survivors for the harm caused by past failures.