Page 4327 - Week 13 - Thursday, 17 November 2005
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We have transitional provisions to address the things that Mr Seselja talks about, the poor people. Cats can have a collar and a label until June 2008. At the moment, if your dog is picked up roaming the streets, having just chomped on the arm or the shoulder of a child, as happened to my grandson only a month and a half ago, the animal is picked up by the domestic animal services and impounded. The particular one I referred to was destroyed, as it should have been.
We have no legislation empowering the domestic animal services or the RSPCA to pick up stray cats. They can do so if they think a cat is in distress, they have that power, but they do not have the power to insist on its being impounded. We will give them that power. They have the power now to temporarily house them, and they do so. We do not have the facilities within the domestic animal services, so an arrangement has been struck with the RSPCA. They need to have that arrangement legitimised through some kind of legislation.
I think that this is a responsible piece of legislation. It is not quite as frivolous as those opposite would make out. Whilst I am grateful for the comments of Dr Foskey, the genesis for this piece of legislation cannot be laid at the feet of the conservation council. They made a contribution, but that is all. Lots of other people made significant contributions to this legislation. So to suggest that the research arm of the ACT Greens is responsible for this piece of legislation is not correct.
I foreshadow that I have an amendment to the legislation. The amendment to the legislation really only goes to a delay in the commencement so that there is consistency with subordinate legislation. The subordinate legislation, which, of course, is dependent upon the act, has to be consistent in regard to timing. It would be silly to have the act come into place when the subordinate legislation did not exist. So there is an amendment to be placed on that. I commend this legislation to the Assembly.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Bill, by leave, taken as a whole.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for Disability, Housing and Community Services, Minister for Urban Services and Minister for Police and Emergency Services) (4.27): I move amendment No 1 circulated in my name [see schedule 2 at page 4338].
I table a supplementary statement concerning the amendment. The amendment delays the commencement of the Domestic Animals (Cat Containment) Amendment Bill 2005 from the day after the notification of the bill on the ACT government legislation register to a date fixed in writing by the minister. If the provision has not commenced within six months, automatic commencement will take place at that time.
The delay is necessary to allow time for subordinate legislation for the compulsory microchipping program to be prepared in conjunction with cat management and
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