Page 3955 - Week 11 - Thursday, 26 September 2019
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below these standards. All Canberrans should have confidence that their pets will be managed appropriately by the businesses entrusted with their care. The new licensing scheme will also not take effect for six months so we can work closely with pet businesses on the licensing arrangements.
It has been made very clear under the Canberra dog model that the strategic combination of education and awareness and compliance and enforcement is key to reducing dog attacks and improving overall animal welfare and management outcomes in the ACT. This is the best way to improve the safety and liveability of our city for people, pets and wildlife. The changes under the Canberra dog model will work in partnership with the changes proposed under this bill and will form a strong foundation upon which we can achieve best-practice animal management outcomes.
Strong links between poor animal welfare and dog attacks have been found in many jurisdictions and we need to appreciate these findings and consider the benefits that improving animal welfare can have for the safety of our community as well as the safety of animals.
This bill will enable proactive enforcement by our dedicated network of authorised animal welfare inspectors, including domestic animal services rangers, our new targeted compliance team and other RSPCA inspectors. As I outlined earlier in this speech, consultation on this bill was significant; it took place over a number of months with a significant number of stakeholders in the community being involved. We have listened to the feedback; we have made amendments along the way and I can confidently say that the bill reflects the community’s values in protecting the welfare of animals and recognises their intrinsic value.
The amendments in this bill clarify and strengthen the existing laws and make regulatory improvements so that the law is enforceable and meets the expectations of the community, delivers best practice legislation in line with our community’s values and contemporary expectations for the best possible animal welfare outcomes in our community and leads the way for other jurisdictions. I commend the bill to the Assembly and present a revised explanatory statement.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Bill agreed to in principle.
Detail stage
Clause 1 agreed to.
Clause 2.
MR STEEL (Murrumbidgee—Minister for City Services, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Recycling and Waste Reduction, Minister for Roads and Active Travel and Minister for Transport) (11.40): I move amendment No 1 [see schedule 1 at page 4002] and table a supplementary explanatory statement to the government amendments. These amendments that I will be moving today are minor and technical
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