Page 4059 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 24 October 1990
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very clearly yesterday. It is my desire, my ambition, to improve the situation. I expect that to be the case. I cannot assure Mr Connolly that this improvement will become permanent and will achieve that desired standard of four ambulance crews at all times 24 hours a day in the Territory in the near future, but I certainly expect it to move nearer that standard in the course of this Government.
MR KAINE: I request that any further questions be placed on the notice paper, Mr Speaker.
PAPER
MR COLLAERY (Deputy Chief Minister): Pursuant to subsection 97(3) of the Audit Act 1989, I table the audit report on the financial statements of the ACT Institute of Technical and Further Education.
DOG CONTROL
Ministerial Statement
MR DUBY (Minister for Finance and Urban Services) (3.08), by leave: Mr Speaker, ACT dog laws have been reviewed in response to growing public concern at the lack of responsibility shown by some dog owners and the problems caused in the community by roaming dogs. The Government has received representations on the need for stronger dog control legislation. These have included a substantial petition presented to this Assembly, personal and written representations from constituents, media publicity and comments from the judiciary following some bad dog attack cases.
The Government has completed a comparative review of State and Northern Territory dog control legislation to ensure consistency with other States and the Northern Territory, and particularly New South Wales. The previous Government launched a community education program in September 1989 to create an awareness in the community of the responsibilities of dog ownership, and I congratulate Mrs Grassby for that initiative. Members will remember the campaign "Your Dog, Your Responsibility", which was run in the media and posters and brochures widely distributed throughout the Territory.
During the first four months of the campaign the number of complaint calls fell from 2,150 to 1,030. However, the number of owners who fail to meet their responsibilities to the community remains too high. The Government is very concerned by the fact that at least two-thirds of the dogs in this community are not registered. This causes continued community concern and, of course, loss of revenue and places an unacceptable burden on ACT Government resources.
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