Source : Perth Now news
Previously hamstrung local governments will be able to pass their own cat containment locals laws to protect wildlife under new changes proposed by the Cook Government.
The Government says it will progress the Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill, enabling the local government sector to make and enforce their own laws.
Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley said the move would support responsible cat ownership.
“If passed, the Bill will empower individual councils to engage with their communities on how they approach cat containment and then make local laws which reflect the needs of their community,” she said.
“Cat containment will prevent the destruction of native wildlife and improve the lives of people’s beloved pet cats.”
Local governments will be able to implement laws around restricting cats to their owners’ premises, prohibiting cats from all public areas, or introducing cat curfews.
They will also be able to consider transition arrangements for owners of existing outdoor cats, and will be encouraged to continue to explore other strategies to support outdoor cat owners.
The Government move follows a WA Legislative Council vote last year to disallow a proposed City of Bayswater local law for cats after finding parts of it exceeded what was permitted under the Cat Act 2011.
The disallowance motion was a recommendation by the Joint Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation, which concluded that clauses in the Bayswater law relating to confinement and control of cats were inconsistent with State law.
Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said at the time the committee had found the proposed law went beyond the powers in the Cat Act 2011 and it was appropriate to disallow it.
Ms Jarvis acknowledged some elements of it were valid, including provisions to prohibit cats from newly listed public places such as Brickworks Lake, but said “attempting to introduce new cat confinement restrictions through local laws is not a valid approach under the current Cat Act”.
Also late last year the City of Stirling shelved its plan to clamp down on free-roaming cats, after conceding its new local law proposal would probably not be approved by a legislation review panel.
The Government said on Friday roaming pet cats were estimated to kill millions of birds, reptiles, and small mammals each year.
Cats kept indoors or otherwise contained within a property were also known to be healthier and suffer fewer injuries.
PerthNow reported last year that a new survey had shown local governments across WA were overwhelmingly in support of “keeping one of our favourite pets at home as feral threats continues to terrorise nature”.
WA Feral Cat Working Group unveiled that nearly 80 per cent of local governments were interested in implementing permanent containment laws for pet cats.
Despite overwhelming evidence of the damage to biodiversity, according to the working group WA had some of the most relaxed laws around responsible cat ownership.
The Cook Government is also consulting the public on the statutory review of the Cat Act 2011.
Written submissions are invited on domestic cat management topics, including registration, enforcement and compliance, sterilisation, microchipping, breeding, and limits on the number of cats owned.
