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Canberra Today 13°/18° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Coe to ‘toughen up’ vicious dog laws

Opposition Leader Alistair Coe.

LAWS surrounding dangerous dogs need to be “toughened up” to protect the public, says Leader of the Opposition Alistair Coe. 

In the ACT Legislative Assembly today, the Canberra Liberals will table the “Domestic Animals (Dangerous Dogs) Legislation Amendments Bill 2017″, which aims to provide clearer direction on the handling of complaints about dog attacks and harassment by dogs.

“The Canberra Liberals have been inundated with disturbing stories from members of the community who have been let down by the Government’s dog laws after experiencing a vicious dog attack,” Mr Coe says.

“In response, my colleague Steve Doszpot spearheaded tough legislation to provide stronger protections for the community and clearer instructions for Domestic Animal Services to investigate complaints.

“The government’s default position on dealing with dog attacks that have resulted in injury or death, has been to hand the dog back to its owners who then let it back into the community.

“The Canberra Liberals Bill seeks to change the government’s default position. In the case where a dog kills or seriously injures a person, or kills an animal, the default position should be that the dog is destroyed.

“The Bill also requires that a dog must be seized and impounded during an investigation into complaints of injury or death. It also provides for a significant annual fee for dangerous dog licence holders, and the issuing of control orders.”

 

Read:

Change to dog laws ‘required’

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