Page 3954 - Week 11 - Thursday, 26 September 2019
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issue in our warmer months coming up. To prevent this from happening the bill proposes a new offence specifically around leaving an animal in a hot car and also introduces a new provision for a person to break into a car if an animal’s life is clearly in danger. Education and awareness are also critical to informing our community about the dangers around this, and a new marketing campaign is being delivered through the Canberra dog model released in May of this year.
The changes that the bill proposes will deliver a clear and robust regulatory framework for the Animal Welfare Authority to impose animal prohibition orders for up to six months where serious animal welfare concerns exist as well as the ability to seize, retain or rehome an animal. This provides time for animal ownership bans to be pursued through the courts. Addressing repeat offenders and exercising caution in dealing with the pets of irresponsible or cruel owners are much-needed measures that will see a reduction in animal welfare abuses over time.
The framework governing the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee is also proposed to be amended under the bill to allow for the committee’s expert advice to reach the Animal Welfare Authority directly, improving efficiencies in working together towards a shared vision for best practice in animal welfare.
Significant progress has also been made in strengthening our partnership with the RSPCA ACT, which has a critical on-the-ground role in dealing with animal welfare in our city, as well as working with our other partners. A key action in the Canberra dog model is improving partnerships, and I look forward to continuing to work to improve the relationships with our many trusted animal welfare and pet organisations in the ACT, including veterinarians.
Another critical component of the bill is that it promotes and protects the rights of people with a disability who rely on assistance animals. This was developed in consultation with the assistance animal industry which directly contributed to the new assistance animal scheme introduced in the bill. An accreditation framework around assistance animals is proposed under the bill, in conjunction with new penalties for refusing access to an accredited assistance animal to a public place. Many Canberrans have been calling on us to ensure the recognition and right of access for assistance animals in the ACT.
The details of the new scheme will be developed in collaboration with representatives from the assistance animal industry and other key stakeholders and aligns with commonwealth and ACT discrimination laws. The new scheme will not come into effect for six months. That allows time to work closely with all affected stakeholders to develop guidelines and processes to effectively implement the new assistance animal framework.
A high-level framework for regulating pet shops and boarding kennels is also proposed under the bill. This will involve a simple, outcomes-focused licensing system whereby conditions can be imposed to ensure responsible sourcing of pets as well as ensuring the welfare of pets kept in boarding facilities. This has proven successful elsewhere in Australia by ensuring that minimum standards for pet shops and boarding kennels can be set and action can be taken if a business is found to fall
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