www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today said that after more than a decade of pushing for cat control legislation that introduced compulsory desexing and microchipping, it was a welcome step forward that the Labor government has finally tabled its Cat Management Bill, but have also said that it is disappointing that it does not provide for compulsory registration of cats.
Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said that cat registration should facilitate owner responsibility, and along with microchipping, also provides a mechanism to save lives of wanted pets which may have strayed from home.
Ms O’Connor also said that the Greens first tabled legislation introducing cat control measures in 1999, again in 2003, and 2005 when their Cat Control Bill was circulated for public consultation.
“The Greens, conservation groups and primary industry stakeholders have been advocating cat management measures be introduced for over 10 years now, in order to reduce both the impacts and populations of feral and stray cats,” Ms O’Connor said.
“Finally! This long over-due and critical piece of legislation has been tabled. Although the government has been quiet about why it has taken so long considering a draft was out for public consultation in September last year.”
“A preliminary assessment of Labor’s bill indicates that key features advocated by the Greens, including compulsory desexing and microchipping and breeder registration, have been incorporated.”
“The Greens believe that there is an argument for the compulsory registration of cats, just as there is for domestic dogs, as owning an animal is a privilege, not a right.
“In previous cat management models put forward by the Greens, we proposed that cat registration should be funded by the State government to ensure that local councils were not forced to bear the financial cost of this requirement.”
“Nonetheless, the government’s Cat Management Bill 2009 is an important step forward for our native fauna, for responsible cat owners and breeders, and for wanted felines themselves,” Ms O’Connor said.
Cassy O’Connor MP Greens Environment spokesperson
