Page 522 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 20 February 2019

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As a parent, when I drop my daughter off at school in the morning, as I did yesterday—today is a day off for kindergarten kids—I expect to pick her up in the afternoon as a happy little girl. I do not think that that is too much for any parent in this town to expect. We do not expect to drop them off into a culture or an environment that will see them bullied, harassed and intimidated or, worse, physically assaulted. It is high time that this matter was dealt with much more seriously and with an awareness of the consequences that those who have to live with this on a daily basis are experiencing, rather than by way of the political hyperbole that is often debated in this place.

Question put:

That the motion be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Ayes 9

Noes 12

Miss C Burch

Mr Milligan

Ms Berry

Ms Orr

Mr Coe

Mr Parton

Ms J Burch

Mr Pettersson

Mrs Dunne

Mr Wall

Ms Cheyne

Mr Ramsay

Mr Hanson

Ms Cody

Mr Rattenbury

Mrs Kikkert

Mr Gentleman

Mr Steel

Ms Lawder

Ms Le Couteur

Ms Stephen-Smith

Question resolved in the negative.

Domestic Animals (Dangerous Dogs) Amendment Bill 2018

Debate resumed from 28 November 2018, on motion by Ms Lawder:

That this bill be agreed to in principle.

MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for City Services, Minister for Community Services and Facilities, Minister for Multicultural Affairs and Minister for Roads) (5.07): Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for the opportunity to respond to the Domestic Animals (Dangerous Dogs) Amendment bill 2018 tabled by Ms Lawder on 28 November last year. It is a proven fact that educating the community to manage our dogs responsibly and regulating human behaviour is the most effective approach to reducing dog attacks, not targeting the dogs themselves. This has been proven in other jurisdictions around the world where dog attack numbers have reduced following the implementation of responsible pet ownership programs within communities.

In these jurisdictions education initiatives such as promoting responsible dog ownership and educating people, including children, on how to behave around dogs has resulted in dramatic reductions in the number of serious dog attacks occurring. In contrast, we have seen our jurisdictions that place the onus on to the wrong end of the leash—attempting to change the dog and not the owner—fail to properly address the

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