PEOPLE will be asked about the prospect of increased penalties for irresponsible dog owners, jail time for the worst offenders and a statewide ban on restricted breeds.
Consultation on new proposed animal management laws come after a number of dog attacks across the state over the past month, including at least one in Logan which injured a young girl.
A taskforce to manage proposed new laws was set up last week.
Minister Mark Furner said proposed changes include a sliding scale of penalties depending on the severity of the attack, up to jail time for persons responsible for dogs that kill or cause grievous bodily harm to a person.
Other proposed measures that encourage responsible dog ownership include on-the-spot fines for off-leash dogs, and a statewide ban on dog breeds prohibited for import by the Commonwealth.
In addition to these initiatives, the taskforce will continue to analyse further actions brought forward by councils.
These include the fast-tracking of decisions and appeals on the future of seized dangerous animals, a centralised database for microchipping details, additional enforcement provisions for unregistered and unmicrochipped animals and repeat offenders, and improved powers for council officers.
As well as tough new penalties, Mr Furner said better owner education was critical to reducing dog bites.
Eighty per cent of bites occur in the home, with a majority of those by a dog that a person owns or is known to them. A community education program targeted at children and dog owners was proposed to the taskforce to combat this.
Local Government Association of Queensland CEO Alison Smith said: “Dangerous dogs are a critical issue for communities and councils have worked hard to find sensible, workable solutions to a growing problem that often has terrible, and even tragic, consequences.
“I would especially like to thank the hardworking council officers who have dedicated their time and their knowledge to progressing much-needed legislative changes over many months.
“We look forward to continuing to work with the state to progress these changes and we welcome the commitment to progress other critical reforms raised by our member councils and their officers.”
