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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 2 Hansard (25 February) . . Page.. 396 ..

Mr Berry: He is not even blushing.

MR HUMPHRIES: If those opposite are not interested in this, then that is their bad luck. We have delivered much more for the people of Canberra than those people ever managed to deliver, and I am very proud of that fact.

Mr Moore: Where is your helicopter?

MR HUMPHRIES: That is not, again, my responsibility.

MR OSBORNE: My question is to Mr Kaine in his capacity as Minister for Urban Services and is in regard to the Dog Control Unit. Minister, in recent briefings that I have received from officers of the Parks and Conservation Service it was drawn to my attention that there has been an extremely low compliance with our laws requiring the registration of dogs in the ACT. While investigating this matter I have recently learnt that our previous Prime Minister, Mr Paul Keating, does not have his dog, Reuben, registered. Am I barking up the wrong tree, Mr Kaine, or does your department treat previous Prime Ministers differently from ordinary people? If they do not, can you assure the people of Canberra that your department will bring Mr Keating to heel on this matter and acquaint him with his legal requirement to register his dog?

MR HUMPHRIES: Mr Speaker, I will take that question, since I am actually responsible for dog control. In all the yelping that is going on in this place it is very refreshing to hear a question which is actually to the point and which makes some sense. The situation was that the former Prime Minister, who apparently maintains a house in Canberra, did have a dog by the name of Reuben which was not registered. I think that problem has now been rectified. However, the former Prime Minister was not to be treated any differently from any other citizen of the city. When the information that the dog was unregistered was brought to the attention of my department, action was taken to provide advice to Mr Keating or to his - - -

Mr Kaine: You did call him to heel, did you?

MR HUMPHRIES: We sort of called him to heel, yes; in a manner of speaking. I am pleased to say that my understanding is that that has now been rectified and that Reuben is a fully legal dog. If any other former Prime Ministers' hounds or other pets come to members' attention, I would be very happy to hear about them.

MR OSBORNE: I have a supplementary question, Mr Speaker. Mr Humphries, I just hope your bark is not worse than your bite. On a serious note: Given the low level of compliance of dog registrations in the ACT, is your department developing a strategy to rectify this? Will you inform this Assembly of that strategy and when should we expect it?

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