Page 3946 - Week 11 - Thursday, 26 September 2019
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Ensuring that the ACT has a strong legal framework for animal welfare will, hopefully, further reduce the likelihood of people setting up puppy and kitten farms or engaging in other abusive and exploitative practices.
While I am in favour of this bill, I must stress the importance of adequate enforcement. Laws need to be effective; there is no point in a law unless it is effective. To be effective, it requires enforcement, which requires resourcing. Education is something which we are totally in favour of, but enforcement is part of it.
It is already illegal to have your dog off leash other than in designated off leash areas. Yet we all know that many, possibly most, dog owners do not comply with this law. However, that being said, it is unrealistic to expect our domestic animal services rangers, even with the recently announced additions to their compliance team, to be able to be on every park or every street. And, quite frankly, we do not want this. Even if they were, in some way, able to do this, we know that many dangerous dog attacks happen in the home, be it the dog owner’s home or the home of someone they are visiting.
If we really want to have a positive impact on the welfare of animals, comprehensive community education is key, as is a new view of animals, as I said earlier. That is why I am so pleased that we will soon recognise animals as being sentient beings.
Pet owners and pet businesses need to be made aware of their responsibilities. Beyond that, they need to be provided with the tools and support to enable them to behave responsibly. Legislation, noble as it may be, is pointless unless it is partnered with systematic, well-resourced, targeted education for those who need it. Peer education is a valuable part of this. The overwhelming majority of Canberra’s pet owners are responsible and caring. They look after their pets and are considerate in public with their pets. Such pet owners can lead by example.
Pet owners and animal lovers across Canberra can play a role in preventing potential abuse or attacks by being responsible. The ways to do this are simple and obvious. Cats and dogs should be desexed unless the owners have a permit, and they should be registered and microchipped. Pet owners must have appropriate fencing, gates or enclosures for their pets, in particular for cats in cat containment suburbs. Dogs need adequate exercise and training. If people are aware of animal abuse or neglect, they need to know they can report the owner to the RSPCA or to domestic animal services.
Looking at the future, there is more work that can and should be done in the animal welfare space. It is really great that people with assistance animals will now have full use of public transport, but the Greens believe, and have been championing it for a long time, that all responsible pet owners, along with their responsible pets, should be able to have full use of our public transport. Many Canberrans own a pet of some sort. If we are serious about achieving zero emissions in the future, and if we are serious about servicing the needs of all Canberra to do this, we must make it as convenient and accessible as possible to travel by public transport. Canberrans can currently travel with their pets on light rail but, sadly, they cannot take their pets onto a bus without permission from the bus driver. I have heard from pet owners who say that
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