Page 5235 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 29 November 2017

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I believe that the bill as we have put it forward is reasonable. It is reasonable that dogs who have inflicted injury to a person such as bites that require stitches are recognised as dangerous. It is reasonable that a dog who inflicts serious injury on other animals is dangerous. If a dog is injuring people or seriously injures animals, it is dangerous. This is necessary. I believe that the bill as submitted should be supported.

MS LE COUTEUR (Murrumbidgee) (12.23): The bill introduces a requirement for the registrar to designate a dog as dangerous if the dog has attacked and caused injury to a person or serious injury to an animal. While I appreciate the difficult balancing act the legislation must perform in not being too general or too specific, I have concerns, as this amendment does not land quite where it wants to.

I am talking here specifically about the Liberal amendment to the bill, just to reduce the level of current confusion. I am concerned that the Liberals’ bill is problematic. In particular, I am not sure that a dog that causes serious injury to a wild rabbit on a farm represents the equivalent community danger to a dog who hunts and kills livestock on the same farm. Conversely, a dog who kills a rat or a mouse may not really be a dangerous dog.

I support that the government is amending this section to increase the discretion for the registrar in the designation of a dangerous dog. I do support this. I think we possibly could have made some more amendments to separate more a guard dog and a dangerous dog; they are both potentially dangerous, but the guard dog is, hopefully, well trained.

I note the comments of the opposition a while ago that the Greens should have made more amendments and that they have problems with resources. I point out that there are 11 members of the Liberal Party and two Greens.

Question put:

That the amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

Question resolved in the affirmative.

Amendment agreed to.

Clause 4, as amended, agreed to.

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