Mr Bull threw his support behind the embattled club during a visit to the south-west on Thursday.

Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club is under administration, some five months after Greyhound Racing Victoria sacked its previous committee.

Mr Bull said his meeting with Member for South West Coast Roma Britnell and club general manager Craig Monigatti was positive.

“We just wanted to stress to the local club here that we are fully supportive of the industry going ahead,” he said. 

“The club here has got some challenges with the current lease that they’re trying to resolve.

“It is something Roma will be taking up again next week in parliament to get it resolved.

“The lease for the greyhound club isn’t so much a concern for the future but it’s prohibiting the club applying for grant applications.

“It is expired. Without that security of tenure, they can’t progress that grant situation, so that’s problematic for the club.”

Mr Bull is pushing for a new board to be appointed, highlighting the need for a strong south-west presence.

He said the administrator was working hard to ensure it happened.

“He said there’s administration areas that he needs to put in place to work through and get the club on a sound footing,” Mr Bull said.

“It’s his intention to have a new board in place within 12 months, so that’s good news and I think that’s positive because when we’ve got a club like the local greyhound club, it’s important that it’s got a board that is representative of the wider community.

“From my perspective, the quicker the better that that gets put in place.”

Mr Bull believes greyhound racing in Victoria was on an upwards trajectory after a tumultuous period.

He said the New South Wales government’s decision to axe the sport did not reflect Victoria’s standing.

“The New South Wales decision was based on a New South Wales report into the New South Wales industry,” Mr Bull said. 

“In Victoria, the industry has undergone significant reform since the Four Corners’ report that sent a shudder down everybody’s spine.

“I have every confidence that the industry understands that as a result of that, it was in the spotlight.

“The industry has embraced the need for change and the industry, I believe in Victoria, has pretty strong bipartisan support. It certainly has strong support from our side of politics.”

Mr Bull and Mrs Britnell also met with Warrnambool Racing Club chief executive Peter Downs.