Last week the Queensland Government convened a meeting of the animal management taskforce to consider a raft of proposals for tougher reforms of current animal-keeping legislation.
Logan City Council is committed to the highest levels of public safety through a
zero-tolerance approach to irresponsible animal ownership practices and high-risk animal behaviour.
In March council endorsed a new Animal Management Plan which puts public safety at the forefront.
Of particular concern for council are instances where there is evidence of repeated or severe animal keeping failures or an impact on public safety.
We have strongly advocated for some time for tougher dangerous dog legislation, and it was heartening to see this stance recognised by the Queensland government and supported by other SEQ mayors and taskforce stakeholders.
I welcome Minister Mark Furner’s commitment around tougher penalties and restrictions on repeat offenders as well as exploring ways to share information on the locations of dogs to keep essential service workers safe.
Even well before the latest taskforce meeting, council had committed to sharing with relevant stakeholders all information relating to the location of regulated dogs in the City of Logan and we will continue to do that.
Animal management is a local government responsibility, however the overall effectiveness of councils enforcing those laws relies, in part, on the quality of the Queensland government legislation.
There is also an important responsibility that comes with owning a pet.
Statistics shared at the taskforce meeting indicated around 80 per cent of dog attacks occur within the family home.
Everyone has a responsibility to ensure they adequately supervise family pets as those most at risk are children.
We fully understand the importance of pet education and council has invested in that for many years.
Our free school-based Be Pet Smart education program reaches many thousands of students each year and focuses on responsible pet keeping and safety around dogs.
Council will continue to advocate for the Queensland government to commit to a quickly this legislative reform.
Through all its initiatives and advocacy, council is committed to focusing on increased public safety through tougher consequences for irresponsible pet owners – we want to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all people and their pets.
