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Speaker 1: But I want to change the topic, move the dollar

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Speaker 1: bit to changes to the Dog and Cat Management Act.

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Speaker 1: The state government proposing changes to set out a process

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Speaker 1: for councils when managing cats they've seized and enabling lost

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Speaker 1: cats to be returned to owners, and a change in

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Speaker 1: powers for the management of cats and key areas of

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Speaker 1: the state like primary production, state, national parks and reserves.

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Speaker 1: So I imagine there we're talking about feral cats. Dean

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Speaker 1: Johnson is president of the Local Government Association. Then good morning,

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Speaker 1: good morning, thank you. So this is all about how

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Speaker 1: councils manage cats moving forward. You welcome these proposed changes.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, look, we certainly welcomed the opportunity to have a

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Speaker 2: look at the Dog and Cat Management Act. It's quite

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Speaker 2: obvious that, you know, we've had statewide laws since South

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Speaker 2: Australia was formed. So the idea that the cat laws

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Speaker 2: should be determined separately counseled by counsel is something that

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Speaker 2: we believe would be inefficient, inconsistent and contradictory as well.

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Speaker 2: It just doesn't make sense. So the LGA and our

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Speaker 2: councils have been calling for statewide laws to be applied

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Speaker 2: to cats in much the same way they do as dogs.

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Speaker 1: Okay, And people can have their say on this at

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Speaker 1: the moment.

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Speaker 2: They can, so times running out. It does close Monday,

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Speaker 2: but yeah, we would welcome any comments and councils in

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Speaker 2: particular getting their information to us. We've had a great

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Speaker 2: deal of uptake on this opportunity, so we have a

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Speaker 2: lot of information already, but we would welcome any late

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Speaker 2: late comments for sure.

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Speaker 1: Okay, Currently there are provisions that allow people to seize

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Speaker 1: a cat, a stray cat on their property. That won't

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Speaker 1: be the case if your suggestions move forward. You want

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Speaker 1: residents to be approved essentially become a cat catcher that.

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Speaker 2: No, LGA does not support that. So the review poker

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Speaker 2: discusses removing the current ability for residents to trap a

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Speaker 2: feral or roaming cat that strays onto their property as

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Speaker 2: long as they treat the cat well and surrender it

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Speaker 2: to a council, RSPCA or a VET within twenty four hours.

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Speaker 2: So this will be a bish if the review statements

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Speaker 2: are adopted, So we don't support that. We think it's

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Speaker 2: imminently sensible that people have the ability to tray to

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Speaker 2: trap strays or feral cats on their properties, and we

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Speaker 2: don't see the sense in making residents have to apply

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Speaker 2: to councils to get a permit to then trap the cat,

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Speaker 2: which is probably gone by then. It's just another level

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Speaker 2: of bureaucracy that just doesn't work. There's no benefit in

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Speaker 2: it that we can see.

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Speaker 1: All right, you will certainly want to get as many

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Speaker 1: out of native parks and the like as you possibly

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Speaker 1: can out out of scrubland, even because obviously feral cats

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Speaker 1: are killing wildlife.

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Speaker 2: That's right, that's right. We know cats do major damage

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Speaker 2: to ecology and native wildlife, as you say, so it

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Speaker 2: really is important that we control that as best we can.

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Speaker 2: And I guess the problems will always be there, but

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Speaker 2: we believe most cat owners are responsible and do the

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Speaker 2: right thing. But there are feral populations that get around,

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Speaker 2: so if we can deal with them properly and quickly,

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Speaker 2: that would be the best outcome for everyone.

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Speaker 1: And you're right, having different councils put in different curfews

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Speaker 1: and whatever for cats, it makes no sense. It would

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Speaker 1: be much better if it was a statewide approach, wouldn't

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Speaker 1: it just from a bureaucratic point of view, or people

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Speaker 1: moving from council to council would know the same rules

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Speaker 1: apply spot.

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Speaker 2: On spot on, And we know that cats don't particularly

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Speaker 2: respect council bound exactly, so you know, obviously it's not

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Speaker 2: account by council issue, it's the same across the state.

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Speaker 2: One law would be the sensible thing to happen.

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Speaker 1: Then, all right, so this goes back to the government

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Speaker 1: with people's feedback and certainly council feedback, I imagine absolutely.

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Speaker 2: Yes, Yeah, we'll be putting hard for changes to be made.

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Speaker 2: Hopefully we can get some good outcomes that are sensible.

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Speaker 1: What is the best idea for cats? Do you think,

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Speaker 1: Diana as an organization, you support of broadly of a

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Speaker 1: curfew at night? What would you like to see happen?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, so there's some of the details that could be

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Speaker 2: thrashed out, I think, but we're really positive about the

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Speaker 2: idea of treating it very much the same as the

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Speaker 2: dog laws that are well understood and respected by people

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Speaker 2: at the moment. So yeah, I think it could contain

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Speaker 2: some some guidance to an more ownership so that they're

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Speaker 2: well and kept within their areas. But cats are of

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Speaker 2: course microchips and registers now, so at least we can

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Speaker 2: take a swipe of the registration and be able to

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Speaker 2: contact the owners and let them know that their cats

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Speaker 2: are out. So that's an important thing.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, a cat's license, now, are they So people pay

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Speaker 1: a registration fee or council for a cat.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right, So that happened recently, and their microchips

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Speaker 2: now as well, so that should allow better control. That's

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Speaker 2: a sensible outcome. Once again, if we can have the

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Speaker 2: same law of state wide, it will be much better

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Speaker 2: for everyone than much easier for the general public to understand.

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Speaker 1: Do you think people are aware they've got to register

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Speaker 1: their cat with the council?

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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, so there's lots of advertising out of the moment,

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Speaker 2: and that's been coming in over the last couple of years.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, there may be some that aren't in the

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Speaker 2: system yet, but I think any new cats I've taken

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Speaker 2: to the VAT and that they microchip and make sure

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Speaker 2: that everyone's registered as well. So we're moving down the

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Speaker 2: path of more stringent and sensible controls over cat but

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Speaker 2: it will take some time and we ye we support

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Speaker 2: the state government if they put in laws that are

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Speaker 2: well understood by everyone and easy for counsel counselors to enforce.

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Speaker 1: All right, thank you for your time, Dean.

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Speaker 2: Thanks Masally good Jack.

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Speaker 1: Dean Johnson, President, Local Government Association on Cat Management Laws

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Speaker 1: and they're looking for feedback the LGA to present to

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Speaker 1: the government. I do support the idea of cat laws

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Speaker 1: being uniform and that only makes sense