Page 439 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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quality of life. Legislation is only as good as its enforcement and the education that accompanies it.
I note Mr Pratt’s concern about dangerous dogs. Obviously this is an issue that this Assembly will need to address at some time in the future. Obviously, the matter he raised does not come under the legislation we are now considering—I believe this would involve the Domestic Animals Act. I hope that there will be consultation when we have legislation to amend that act before us because I would not like to see a simple knee-jerk response to what is obviously a really important problem that we need to address.
MR HARGREAVES (Brindabella—Minister for the Territory and Municipal Services, Minister for Housing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11.53), in reply: Mr Deputy Speaker, firstly I would like to address Dr Foskey’s point about the Domestic Animals Act. That legislation is out for public consultation at the moment. If members of this place have a view on changes to the Domestic Animals Act, I would encourage them to put those views forward with some speed. If suggested amendments are reasonable, the government will pick them up; if they are unreasonable, the government will reject them but we will give a reason why they have been rejected. I think we need to have that conversation.
I need to make a point about why we need this legislation and the domestic animals legislation. People in the department have the same commitment to animal welfare that I and the government do. I am pleased to say that this commitment seems to be shared by the opposition and Dr Foskey, who, having lambasted me in the past for leaving the chamber and not paying suitable attention to her shrill diatribes, does not have the courtesy to stay and is now departing this place. It is a bit of a shame that she feels the necessity to go out the front door at a time when we are debating an issue of such concern.
Mr Mulcahy: What a disappointment!
MR HARGREAVES: Yes. But the good Lord moves in mysterious ways, Mr Deputy Speaker. Let me give a couple of examples of why we need this sort of legislation. I have a little orange cat and a black cat at my house, and because a person has taken an overseas posting, we are about to take in a little orphan cat. How we came to get this little orange bloke is a salient point. My daughter found him tied to a traffic pole. I am not sure whether it was a no-parking or a no-standing pole but it was one of those types of poles. He had fire-crackers strapped underneath him, kerosene had been poured across his back and he was on fire. Naturally enough, he was jumping around all over the place, as you do when you are on fire. My daughter rescued him. He had his whiskers burnt off, his ears were burnt and a lot of his fur had been burnt off. So we took in this little six-week-old kitten. That kind of an attitude towards animals has to be stamped out.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Dr Foskey talked about fish not having memories. That is only because when she talks to the fish they do not remember who she is, and we all have that problem from time to time. At this point I welcome Dr Foskey back to the chamber.
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