Page 1798 - Week 05 - Thursday, 10 May 2018

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lawful to breed, train and own them in the territory. We have done this because, while we cannot control who comes here to race, we can regulate what happens to the dogs that are in Canberra.

More regular racing registration renewals, new licensing requirements on owners, trainers and breeders and a mandatory code of practice for people who have day-to-day control of greyhounds registered for racing are now in place to improve our oversight of the welfare of greyhounds here in the ACT.

The new legal framework for monitoring is designed to give us a better line of sight on the entire lifetime of greyhounds here in the ACT. The hardworking staff at Access Canberra and domestic animal services will be working closely together to monitor the ban and other associated changes to ensure that the welfare of animals is upheld here in the territory.

MR STEEL: Minister, can you please update the Assembly on where people affected by the greyhound racing ban can seek support?

MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Steel for his question. The government has established the greyhound industry transition task force. The task force has engaged Woden Community Service, which has strong experience in providing support to a diverse variety of members of the public. The government strongly encourages anyone affected by the end of greyhound racing in the ACT to contact either the transition task force or Woden Community Service to access the support.

Free counselling is also available to anyone who is impacted by the end of greyhound racing in the ACT whether or not they are pursuing a transition support package. This can be accessed by contacting Woden Community Service, who have been engaged to provide dedicated support, case management, information and counselling services for those affected by greyhound industry transition and those wishing to consider support package options.

While some industry lobbyists have publicly stated that they do not intend to engage with the transition process, the government strongly encourages individual members of the industry to consider their own futures and engage with the task force while the opportunity is still available.

Planning—land use

MR PARTON: My question is to the Minister for Housing and Suburban Development. Minister, what is your policy in regard to selling land parcels that are currently zoned urban open space under the PRZ1 code?

MS BERRY: If Mr Parton is referring to a particular parcel of land that he has a concern about, perhaps he could let me know and I can get some advice for him on that. With regard to whether the government has a policy around purchase of land that he has referred to, I will take the question on notice and provide some more detail for the Assembly.


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