Bills

Dog and Cat Management (Dog Attacks) Amendment Bill

Introduction and First Reading

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (11:35): Obtained leave and introduced a bill for an act to amend the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995. Read a first time.

Second Reading

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Climate Change) (11:36): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

The government is introducing the bill, the Dog and Cat Management (Dog Attacks) Amendment Bill 2017, to insert a new provision in the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, regarding a duty for people to exchange details and provide assistance where dogs are involved in certain prescribed incidents. Specifically, the new offence will apply to the owner or person responsible for the control of a dog involved in an attack on another person or animal in charge of a person which results in physical injury.

According to statistics, over the last five years the number of dog attacks has steadily been increasing. Nationwide media reporting, particularly in recent months, has disclosed a number of disturbing dog attacks against people and other animals where the owner has left the scene of the attack. The government, together with the Dog and Cat Management Board, is committed to reducing the number of dog attacks within the community. Around two-thirds of South Australians own either a dog or a cat. In relation to dogs, there were 292,047 registered dogs in South Australia in the 2016-17 financial year.

When you consider the significance of dogs in our community, it is no wonder that dog attacks impact the lives of many South Australians. In order to ensure that people feel safe in their local neighbourhoods, it is important that our legislation contains provisions that help to deter irresponsible dog ownership and impose appropriate accountability. The bill aims to do this by imposing a duty on dog owners or persons responsible for the control of a dog to give reasonable assistance to any person or animal that is injured in a prescribed incident and to take reasonable steps to provide prescribed information.

The bill defines a prescribed incident as one that involves an attack or harassment by a dog on a person or animal that ends up causing physical harm. Further, the bill defines prescribed information in respect of a dog to mean the name and address of the owner or the person responsible for the control of the dog at the time of the incident, and the registration number of the dog, providing the dog has been registered.

The bill imposes a maximum penalty of $5,000 or an expiation of $315 for anyone who fails or refuses to comply with the new provision, noting that in court proceedings certain defences may be considered to be relevant. The new offence is an additional provision to the extensive amount of work that has already been undertaken in the last few years in relation to dog and cat management. This included a citizens' jury on reducing unwanted dogs and cats in July 2015 and a subsequent suite of legislative amendments, most of which became operational in July this year.

On 1 July 2018, the introduction of mandatory microchipping will make it much easier to identify a dog and its owner, and most dogs born after 1 July 2018 will be required to be desexed. These provisions are expected to assist local councils with the management and investigation of dog attacks. However, the new offence goes even further in efforts to reduce dog attacks in the community.

In summary, the government is seeking to strengthen and complement existing provisions in the act in order to emphasise its commitment towards encouraging responsible dog ownership and reducing the number of dog attacks. I commend the bill to the house.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. D.W. Ridgway.