MEEGAN Fitzharris says the ACT Legislative Assembly has passed the Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2016 today.

“The ACT Government is committed to protecting the welfare of animals in our community, and this legislation will help to ensure people appropriately care for their pets,” Meegan said.

“Unfortunately, evidence from prosecutions indicates animal neglect is emerging as a concerning problem in the ACT. These cases have also demonstrated that some provisions in the Animal Welfare Act 1992 have created unintended barriers to the effective investigation, enforcement and prosecution of animal welfare offences.

“The Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2016 will more clearly define and prohibit neglect and cruelty making it easier to determine when neglect or cruelty has occurred.

“It also includes a new provision stating that a person in charge of an animal has a duty to care for it. A person who fails to take reasonable steps to provide for an animal’s basic needs, or who abandons their animal, may be guilty of an offence for which the maximum penalty is 100 penalty units ($15,000), imprisonment for one year, or both.

“Other key reforms include ensuring authorised officers have the powers necessary to investigate and prosecute animal welfare offences effectively and safely, and broadening the range of orders that can be made by the court to enforce the law and prevent animal neglect and cruelty.

“The amendments will not only help facilitate the prosecution of animal neglect and cruelty offences, they will also contribute to animal welfare education and prevention so that fewer animals are in danger in the first place.

“To reduce the likelihood of prosecutions for neglect based on ignorance, community awareness initiatives will be developed in conjunction with key stakeholders to help people who have animals to understand their basic responsibilities. These include the responsibility to provide food, water and shelter; treatment for illness, disease or injury; and allowing the animal to display normal patterns of behaviour.

“Amendments to the legislation will build on the awareness and educational activities already underway particularly adherence to the Code of Practice for the Sale of Animals (Sales Code) which makes it mandatory for information about the care of any animal sold in the ACT to be provided at the point of sale.

“In addition to the Sales Code, the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC) has been developing specific codes of practices about the care of dogs, cats, native wildlife and other animals.”

Changes to the Animal Welfare Act 1992 have been made in consultation with key stakeholders including the RSPCA ACT, Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the Veterinary Surgeons Board. To view the legislation visit legislation.act.gov.au.