Banning Puppy Farms
Tuesday 4 February 2025
Second Reading Debate - Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Bill 2024
Ms CLANCY (Elder) (12:16): I rise today in support the Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Bill 2024, which seeks to amend the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 and the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935. I know this is a controversial and divisive statement to make—and we tend to try to avoid those in politics—but I would like to put on record, as I am sure many of you have been wondering, I am a dog person.
My allergies mean that cats are not for me. They are also not super friendly. If I am going to the member for Badcoe's house with her lovely cats for any extended period of time, I always have to take an antihistamine 30 minutes before. When my daughter was three, she kept asking for a cat. I would explain that we cannot have one because of my allergies. She eventually got to the point of saying, in the sweetest, most lovely voice, 'That's okay, you can live somewhere else.' The hypothetical cat was apparently more desired than me.
In December 2022, we did bring a pet into our home—our dog, Pepsi, a beautiful tan standard poodle. My wonderful dad retired when he was around 70. He did not really last long in retirement. Having worked in agriculture, viticulture, journalism, communications, all sorts of things, he decided to turn our garage into a dog grooming salon. He is a very kind and generous man and did not charge very much money, even for the biggest dogs. No-one was paying more than $100—no-one. He got to the point of having 200 dogs on his books, including a number of dogs of some of the Crows footy players. He was a very busy man.
Over the last couple of years, he has had to tone down, as he is 77 years old, about to turn 78. He has fewer dogs on the books now, but he still has a few. A couple of those are two standard poodles from one household. The family thought that it would be nice for them to make one litter before desexing, so we got a call from my dad saying, 'I am currently washing eight tiny, beautiful puppies. You guys should come see them,' so then I did. I took a five year old with me, and what would you know? We ended up getting one of those puppies, and so did my dad and so did one of my brothers. So we have three of the eight, and they are beautiful dogs.
My partner is not a dog or a cat person and did not really want one. That being said, very early on I came home one day from a parliamentary sitting day, walked into the house at about 6.30, and I could smell food cooking. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, my partner has made dinner on a sitting night. This is excellent.' I was so excited. I walked in and said, 'What have you made?' and he said, 'No, I'm not making dinner for you; I'm making food for the dog. I don't like the dry biscuits that you're feeding her; it's not good enough.' So he now cooks for her every four days. He makes a big batch of rice and veggies and meat. She is a very spoilt puppy and very loved by the man who did not want a dog.
Being such a dog person, I am particularly proud to speak on this bill today, and I know many in my community will be stoked to see this bill's passage. One of the most abhorrent examples of animal cruelty in our state is the practice of puppy farms, where dogs are forced to breed year after year, crammed in filthy conditions. At the 2022 state election we promised to eradicate this practice, banning puppy farms once and for all. In September of that year, we took our first step towards fulfilling that promise by introducing an immediate cap on the number of fertile breeding females that could be kept on a premise or by one owner. This reform, equal to the strictest in Australia, put an end to any prospect of inhumane breeders who had plans to move from states with stricter laws to continue their immoral practice in South Australia.
Last year we took another step towards fulfilling our promise, as the draft of the bill before us today was opened to community consultation between May and June. I would like to thank each and every one of the more than 300 compassionate South Australians who took the time to share their views and experiences on this bill and who continue to advocate to me and to everyone else in this place to continue the pursuit of promoting animal welfare in this state.
I would also like to thank all the members of my community who have shared with me their views on this important reform and who tirelessly advocate for a better environment and community for our fluffy four-legged friends. As Terri wrote, upon hearing that we were delivering on our promise to ban puppy farms, 'That's absolutely fantastic news. At last, a state government that is sticking to promises made in an election.'
This bill seeks to introduce a new breeder licensing scheme that will require breeders to adhere to strict standards for breeding, such as limiting the number of female animals per breeding program and the number of litters that may be bred. Mandatory reporting of each litter will also be introduced. This proposed reform will bring South Australia in line with Victoria, which is currently the strictest jurisdiction for breeding programs in the country.
In addition to banning puppy farms, this bill also seeks to increase the fines and penalties for offences associated with dogs wandering at large, dog attacks and other safety offences. This bill proposes increasing the maximum fine for the owner of a dog that attacks a person or another animal, causing serious injury or death, from $2,500 to $25,000. If the attacking dog was already the subject of a dangerous dog order, the maximum fine would be increased to $50,000, rather than the existing increase of up to $10,000. We all very much love our animals, but we all do need to take responsibility and keep people safe as well. I want to congratulate the Deputy Premier, the Dog and Cat Management Board and everyone involved in the 'Good dogs have bad days' campaign, which is a simple message but I think a really effective one.
Furthermore, this reform also introduces a subclause regarding a new wandering dog order to help manage dogs who continually escape. This new order will stipulate reasonable steps to be taken by the owner to prevent the dog escaping and to attend training where appropriate. While Pepsi has only escaped twice, I will make sure I advise her of this change as well. These reforms are nation-leading and sensible, and I am really proud to be part of a state government that continues to promote animal welfare in line with the expectations of our community. I would also like to say that I am really happy with the changes for greyhounds as well. We have a greyhound in our family, with my brother and sister-in-law having their beautiful dog Katie. I am so happy to see these changes for her and other beautiful greyhounds.
In closing, I would like to again thank the Deputy Premier and everyone in her team for their ongoing support and work to bring this reform to this place. South Australians seeking to bring home a new four-legged friend can finally be assured that their loved pet was not bred in a puppy farm. I commend this bill to the house.
