2014-10-14 Infrastructure & Services Committee Agenda

INFRASTRUCTURE & SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                             14 OCTOBER 2014


The upkeep of these animals adds around $14,000 per annum to the running costs of the pound
facility. Registration of these animals would therefore see a considerable cost saving, allow for
lost dogs to be returned more quickly to their owners, and reduce the turnover of dogs through
the pound.

Proposal

As part of Council’s responsible pet ownership initiative it is proposed that a systematic house to
house inspection program be carried out across the Shire with a view to gaining a greater
compliance of Dog Registration.
It is proposed that this inspection program will run from 2/2/2015 to 29/5/2015.

In order to carry out the proposed inspection program, the Local Laws Unit will use two
temporary field staff trained specifically to conduct the inspection and a temporary business
support officer to record the data. The officers working in the field will need two vehicles during
business hours.

The last time such a program was undertaken in 2009 by the Sunshine Coast Council, it resulted
in a significant increase in dog registrations.

Legal
The head of power for local government to approve a systematic inspection program is the
Animal Management (Cats & Dogs) Act 2008. Sections 113 and 114 outline the conditions that
would normally be included in the approval of a systematic inspection program.

113 Approval of inspection program authorising entry
(1) A local government (the approving local government) may by resolution approve a program
(an approved inspection program) under which an authorised person may enter a place to
monitor compliance with this Act or an aspect of this Act….
(4) A systematic inspection program provides for all places, or all places of a particular type, in
the local government’s area, or a particular part of the area, to be entered and inspected.
(5) An approved inspection program must state the following—
        (a) the purpose of the program;
        (b) when the program starts;
        (d) for a systematic inspection program—
            (i) if places in a part of the local government’s area are to be entered and
            inspected—a description of the part; and
            (ii) if a type of place is to be entered and inspected—a description of the type;
        (e) the period, of not more than 6 months or another period prescribed under a regulation,
        over which the program is to be carried out.

114 Notice of proposed inspection program

(1) At least 14 days, but not more than 28 days, before an approved inspection program starts,
the approving local government must give notice of the program.
(2) The notice must be published—
        (a) in a newspaper circulating generally in the local government’s area; and
(b) on the local government’s website.

It is intended that advertisements will be placed in the Noosa News and Sunshine Coast Daily
over the period 17-31 January 2015 appearing at least twice in each publication.




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