DOG AMENDMENT (STOP PUPPY FARMING) BILL 2020
499. Ms C.M. ROWE to the Minister for Local Government:
I refer to the cruel practice of puppy farming and the
commitment that the McGowan Labor government made to the people of Western Australia
at the last election that it would bring an end to the appalling practice. Can
the minister advise the house what it would mean to those who choose to
overbreed or irresponsibly breed dogs, should the Liberal Party successfully
block this government's legislation to stop puppy farming?
Mr D.A. TEMPLEMAN
replied:
I am very pleased to
answer this question; it is a very good question and a very important question.
I was very pleased to be with the
members for Belmont and Forrestfield on Tuesday this week when we visited the
Swan Animal Haven in Maida Vale, which is run by some magnificent
volunteers. Many volunteers at the animal havens, be they cat or dog havens,
volunteer their time and energy to look after, in this case, neglected animals
and dogs that have been abandoned and are vulnerable. They do it because of
their passion for making sure that our canine friends are protected and looked
after. They do it because they understand that wonderful relationship that
human beings have with their canine friends.
As the member for Belmont knows, when this government went to
the election in March 2017, it brought forward a policy that, if elected, it
would introduce legislation to stop puppy farming. That was a policy and now we
have introduced the Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Bill into this
Parliament. On Tuesday, when we began the second reading debate on this bill,
it was so disappointing to hear the first sentence spoken by the shadow
Minister for Local Government for the Liberal Party who said, ''The
Liberal Party of Western Australia will be opposing this bill.'' Why
would they oppose a bill that is focused on ensuring that we stop an abhorrent
practice known as puppy farming? What thinking would be behind their decision
to oppose this bill that we have introduced into this place when we know that
its focus is on reducing the number of unwanted dogs born and providing an
outlet for the adoption or the sale of unwanted abandoned dogs? It is focused
on having a centralised registration system so that we can track from birth to
death our wonderful dogs and it no longer requires retired greyhounds to be
muzzled. That legislation has strong community support throughout Western Australia,
which was well consulted along with a range of stakeholders.
The community of Western Australia,
in the discussions and the conversations that we had when we explained this
policy, responded overwhelmingly. We received nearly 5 000 responses saying
that people understand why this bill is important. This legislation will work
towards that very strong need to stop puppy farming. But what did we get from
the Liberal Party? It said, ''We will not support this bill.''
That is what we got from the Liberal Party, including the members for Nedlands,
Kalgoorlie, Cottesloe, Riverton, Dawesville and Darling Range who spoke in the
second reading debate. All of them opposed this bill. Why would they do that
when we know that this bill is focused on protecting our pups when they are
born, making sure that we trace very carefully the breeding of these pups, and during their lifetime? We want to
ensure that the people who purchase pups understand the important
responsibility that they are taking on and know what they are purchasing. There
are lots of examples of people who have purchased a pup or a dog from a puppy
farm, many of them paying thousands of dollars, and not got what they paid for.
Indeed, that dog might have a range of health problems and end up passing away
very early in their life. Why would members opposite oppose this bill? First,
they do not understand the policy; and, second, they do not understand the
importance of animal welfare in Western Australia.
The member asked what would happen
if this bill is blocked by the Liberal Party when it votes against it in this
place or the upper house. I know that members opposite are backtracking a little
because they are worried about this situation. They understand that thousands
of people in the community support this policy and understand far better than
members opposite, who do not even have an inkling, that this policy is the
right policy to protect our pups and dogs going forward. We made concessions to
ensure that working dogs are exempted from sterilisation. We understood the
need for that and it will be in the regulations. But this Liberal Party is so
far out of touch with the community of Western Australia that it is condemned
for its opposition to this bill.
I
look forward to the consideration in detail that we are in the middle of, and
the third reading. We want the Liberal Party to know that if it opposes
this bill in the other place, we will take it to the next election and remind
every person in Western Australia that the
people who wanted to stop this important policy position, this important law, belonged
to the Liberal Party, led by the Leader of the Opposition and a hapless group
of mangy supporters.