But, regardless of his personal feelings on the matter, Mr Johnsen backed the bill.

The member told parliament of the discussions he had had with people in his electorate over the past weeks.

“It is not in the DNA of The Nationals to ban any industry or sport and, despite what was said in the lead-up to this debate, this bill will set a precedent for other industries or sports,” he said in Parliament.

“I fear for that.

“On the surface this seems totally wrong, but when the facts are considered it may not be necessarily so.”

Following parliamentary discussion that continued well into the early hours of Wednesday morning, Mr Johnsen said he was ultimately satisfied with the bill, given the facts presented during the debate.

“My position all along was that I would speak to members of the community, both those for or against, but that I would make my decision on how I would vote, dependent on the facts as they were presented in the House at the time of the debate,” he said.

“Based on the facts presented in the house I believe the [result] is the one which, in the long-term, was the only possible outcome.

“The government has in place a transition plan, and without this decision, it would have left the industry to self-destruct down the track, and with no financial support for business, jobs, breeders, trainers etc would have been forthcoming.

“By the [greyhound racing] industry’s own admission, the industry itself was not viable in the short, medium or the long-term, which is a fact that I referenced in my speech to Parliament.

“Given this matter related to NSW alone, I have not looked into the greyhound industry in other states.”

As of Wednesday evening, Mr Johnsen had not yet spoken to any of the constituents who lobbied him, either for or against the legislation, since it passed the lower house.