Page 3884 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 September 2017

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applied for a special licence to keep the dogs. There are a number of restrictions on the enclosures in which the dogs were or are kept, which are part of the special licence for this particular household to retain these dangerous dogs.

I will be making a statement to the Assembly on Thursday in response to an earlier motion from the Assembly around this range of issues and note also that the estimates committee made a specific recommendation around criteria for dangerous dogs. I remain in conversation with TCCS about that particular issue and I will have more to say more broadly about this issue on Thursday.

MR MILLIGAN: Minister, why are you so unwilling to protect Canberrans by putting in place tough dog laws to protect the community?

MS FITZHARRIS: I am not unwilling and I have had this conversation, particularly with Mr Doszpot, who I know shares these concerns, and with a number of community groups around the territory. As I said, I will be making a statement on Thursday. The statement will outline the work that has been underway both in terms of the draft animal welfare strategy and the specific requirements that the Assembly put on me as the minister in the earlier motion. Again, I will have more to say about that on Thursday.

MR COE: Minister, was the owner of these five dogs appropriately licensed as an owner of four or more dogs?

MS FITZHARRIS: I do not know the answer to that question. I will take it on notice and report back.

Health—code of conduct

MS LE COUTEUR: My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing and concerns the national code of conduct for healthcare workers, which governs a range of health services that may be offered, including reparative therapy, the outdated psychological practice of attempting to stop people being gay or lesbian. Minister, will you be implementing the national code of conduct for healthcare workers agreed to at COAG in 2015?

MS FITZHARRIS: In theory, I certainly think that if something was agreed to in 2015 by COAG, we will be implementing it, but I will take the question on notice and provide further detail at a later date.

MS LE COUTEUR: What alternative regulation regimes exist in the ACT to issue temporary and/or permanent prohibition orders regarding non-registered health practitioners who engage in unprofessional or dangerous practices?

MS FITZHARRIS: The specifics of that would be overseen by AHPRA, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Again, I will take the details of the question on notice.


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