He also complained to the industry regulator Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) and told them the property had been owned by one of its own employees. When the property was sold the new owners were horrified to get a visit from the RSPCA and be told there was a mass graveyard on site. They said GRNSW came and dug up the graveyard and took away the skull of a dog in their investigation. But they said they had not heard from the regulator since. A spokesman for GRNSW told Fairfax Media an investigation was conducted 12 months ago into allegations of animal welfare concerns that were made by the "owners of a rival trial track". He said the investigation found no evidence of animal cruelty. A complaint was also made to the integrity auditor and the spokesman said he also found no case to answer.

The trainer who doesn't want to be named because of concerns about retribution, is one of a number of owners and trainers who have attempted to raise concerns about elements within the industry. In the past two years many have spoken to Fairfax Media about what they believe is corruption and cronyism and conflicts of interest in an attempt to clean up the industry for good. Many of them are dog lovers and say they are appalled at what has happened in some cases, but they are also angry at what they believe are attempts by the regulator to hush it up. "We want the bad eggs out of the industry," they said. Investigations by Fairfax Media has exposed serious problems in the industry in 2012 including animal welfare issues. It followed news that GRNSW integrity auditor David Landa had quit, warning that the position which is supposed to keep a check on the industry had been compromised and was unworkable. Stakeholders had raised concerns that the industry had returned to its murky past because of poor transparency and lack of independent oversight. A parliamentary inquiry was established which was also told about the illegal use of live animals as bait. Recommendations were made but Greens MP Dr John Kaye, deputy chairman of the committee, said at the time they did not go far enough and the industry "had dodged a bullet". Last week an expose by Animals Australia and Four Corners revealed trainers in three states were using live bait – possums, rabbits and pigs tied to lures and flung around trial tracks to entice dogs to race. The footage showed animals were being mauled to death by the dogs. More than 30 trainers have been suspended in the wake of raids by the RSPCA and police.

The shocking revelations resulted in the Minister for Sport Troy Grant forcing the board and CEO of GRNSW to step down. Mr Grant appointed interim chief executive Paul Newson to oversee the industry while an investigation is carried out by former High Court judge Michael McHugh. Speaking for the first time since resigning, former board member Megan Lavender said she offered to step down in the interest of greyhound racing saying the only other alternative was to call a halt to racing in NSW. "This was an option which I was not prepared to countenance because it would have resulted in the immediate unemployment of thousands of innocent NSW residents associated with greyhound racing – from the ladies serving at the tuck shop to the blokes sweeping out the kennels," she said. In a separate development, Fairfax Media has learnt that the integrity auditor of GRNSW has also been asked to investigate complaints relating to a senior employee of the regulator. Requests to GRNSW for the number of complaints received, issues involved and outcomes investigated by the Integrity Auditor in the past two years have not been answered.

The former chairwoman of GRNSW Eve McGregor said the "government needs to restore the community's confidence and with the cooperation and support of the majority of the Board, is taking steps to achieve that." "The loud call from those outside the industry to shut it down in the face of some horrific images seems on face value to be a way out. But this sport has been active for many decades, and does have a place," she said. The Independent Commission Against Corruption investigated the industry in 2000 leading to corruption charges and the jailing of former chief steward Rodney Potter. Sweeping changes to the industry set up GRNSW as was the autonomous and non-government regulator. Stakeholders say that meant there was no independent oversight and it had become a private company.