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16 Saturday May 2015
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animal cruelty, cruelty to animals, inspectors, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, RSPCA, RSPCA Inspectors
RSPCA Inspectors aim to prevent cruelty to animals by ensuring the enforcement of existing laws at federal and state level.
Sometimes there is a fine line between an owner who is simply not aware how to look after their pet properly, and whether the laws under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Legislation have been broken. While the situation may not match how we would like to see animals cared for, if the law hasn’t been broken the best our inspectors can do is seek to educate the animal’s owner about how better to look after their pet.
Our inspectors also rescue animals and assist with the management of wildlife, livestock and companion animals during emergencies and disasters, and inspect pet shops, sale yards, abattoirs, livestock operations, breeding establishments, and places where animals are kept and used for public entertainment.
We don’t have the resources to be able to call you back to let you know the progress of your complaint. If you call us to find out what happened, all we will be able to tell you if whether the Inspector has visited the premises or not; privacy laws prevent us from giving you more details.
After we have sent the details of your call to the relevant inspector, they will prioritise your issue against other calls received. Please note that we have 32 inspectors on the road across the state, which equates to approximately one metro inspector to every 281,250 people, and one regional inspector for every 50,030 square kilometers.
We receive around 12,000 cruelty complaints each year, so our inspectors are constantly weighing up which issue needs their attention first. If the animal is not in immediate danger, it may be a few days before an inspector can investigate.
Our inspectors work closely with national enforcement agencies, in particular the police and local authorities.
We only bring a prosecution where it is necessary and where there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction against each suspect on each charge. When people have shown themselves to be wholly unable to look after animals, it can be the only way to make sure that other animals are not put at risk in the future. Prosecution also serves to reinforce the important message that animal abuse and neglect are not acceptable in a civilised society.
When making a cruelty report, you will be asked for your name and contact details. These are kept confidential and are never passed on to the offender. They are needed so an inspector can contact you for further information or to take a witness statement. You must have seen the animal and its condition for an inspector to have grounds to enter a person’s property.
If an animal is in immediate danger, such as trapped in a hot car, call your local police who can act under the same laws as an RSPCA inspector.
A cruelty investigation takes time and taking a matter to court can be a lengthy procedure. It sometimes takes months or even years for a court case to be finalised.
We need you to be our eyes, to enable us to better help you and the animal in question. So we will ask you a lot of questions to ensure we are able to provide the inspector with as much information as possible to help them prioritise the case.
You can ring the cruelty hotline for information at any time. If an investigation has found no breach of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act or if an owner has been issued instructions about the welfare of an animal, you will be given this information. In many cases, however, details of an investigation cannot be given out.
Yes possibly, especially if you have been an eye witness to cruelty or neglect.
Email the inspectors@rspcansw.org.au and your query will be dealt with as soon as possible.
11 Monday May 2015
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inPerth Now. May 10, 2015
IT is with some dismay that we apply a magnifying glass to the RSPCA. A highly respected organisation that has done untold good since its inception in Victoria in 1871, it has a proud history here in WA of upholding its charter to protect, prevent cruelty and provide welfare for, animals.
Indeed, PerthNow, The Sunday Times and the RSPCA have enjoyed a strong relationship, with this newspaper sponsoring initiatives and partnering with fundraising activities.
In the past few years though, there have been rumblings that the WA branch has lurched from welfare to activism, including aggressive prosecutions where better outcomes may have been achieved with other less extreme remedies.
Some of this can rightly be dismissed as a biased agenda from disgruntled land owners, organisations and individuals who see the RSPCA as an inconvenience to their recreational pursuits.
But information obtained by PerthNow and The Sunday Times in recent weeks points to issues that run much deeper than disgruntled shooters.
In WA, there are important questions surrounding the legal powers vested with RSPCA inspectors, courtesy of the Animal Welfare Act, and the degree of oversight being exercised by the government department.
We received some extraordinary responses this week from the Department of Agriculture and Food WA.
Concern was heightened by a series of alarming emails uncovered between DAFWA officials and the RSPCA inspectors which suggested ice-cold relations — though we’re now assured the relationship is back on track. That assurance shouldn’t preclude rigorous oversight.
DAFWA’s answers to our questions would make the writers of Yes, Minister green with envy. At least they tried, unlike Agriculture Minister Kim Baston, who declined to answer any of our questions on Friday.
It’s also intriguing that DAFWA removed a clause in its Grant Agreement with the RSPCA, that the charity’s inspectors adhere to their enforcement and prosecution guidelines.
Was this at the insistence of the RSPCA?
Is it wise to have DAFWA and RSPCA general inspectors adhering to different policies, when their responsibilities under the Act are the same?
In addition, the RSPCA is being accused by its previous president Eric Ball of engaging in “improper fundraising activities”.
Mr Ball goes as far as to say he is in “disbelief” about their nature. He has flagged other issues in his blistering letter to Mr Baston.
The RSPCA is supported by grants directly from the Government and the Lotteries Commission — another justification for drilling down into the issues.
PerthNow and The Sunday Times backs the parliamentary inquiry into the charity, which will hopefully quickly restore the public’s confidence in the RSPCA and the manner in which it is governed.
11 Monday May 2015
Posted Uncategorized
inTHE former WA president of the RSPCA says the iconic institution has lost its way in a scathing report he’s passed to the Government.
11th May 2015
Eric Ball claims a culture of care and compassion has been replaced by one of provocation and punishment. In a copy of the report obtained by PerthNow and The Sunday Times, he also accuses current RSPCA chief executive David van Ooran of risking the charity’s reputation by raising funds through misrepresentation.
Mr Ball is chairman of the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee which provides advice to Agriculture Minister Ken Baston — responsible for animal welfare issues in WA. This week Mr Baston supported calls for a parliamentary inquiry into the RSPCA.
In the report Mr Ball, a member of a panel that Mr Baston has convened to review the administration of the Animal Welfare Act, states it was written in a strictly private capacity and represented his views only. He said he was aware of widespread unease about the RSPCA over the past three years.
“As a member I have observed dramatic changes to the rules of RSPCA which cause me great disquiet and improper fundraising activities driven by the chief executive, with no justification and which I discovered with disbelief,” he said. “A number of employees whose employment has been terminated have also contacted me with their concerns about recent management practices, the directions given to inspectors and the management of RSPCA held animals.”
Mr Ball was president of the RSPCA from 1985-2005 and received the Order of Australia medal for his service to animals. Mr Ball’s comments echo the sentiments of several former RSPCA staff, including inspectors, who have contacted this newspaper.
PerthNow is also aware of friction in recent years between the RSPCA and senior officials in the Department of Agriculture and Food, which administers the Animal Welfare Act.
Some officials were unhappy with how some prosecutions and animal seizures have been handled and a lot of effort has been made in recent months to mend the relationship. Mr Baston this week said in Parliament he was unconvinced there was enough scrutiny of the RSPCA.
In his report, Mr Ball wrote: “It is my suspicion that the present management of the RSPCA does not understand that all inspectors are appointees of the State and the State is ultimately accountable for their actions.”
Mr Ball also cited misleading statements in different fundraising materials.
“A mail promotion to hundreds of potential donors uses untrue information and statements about an alleged local prosecution designed to appeal to the heartstrings of WA recipients, but a prosecution which RSPCA WA has never undertaken,” he said.
The case referred to the mistreatment of a kelpie that was prosecuted by the RSPCA NSW in 2012.
“The kelpie was one of the worst I’d seen. He was a bag of bones with very little holding him together but a mangy coat on top of flea-infested skin. Once you’ve rescued a dog that has suffered cruelty, the most vivid memory is always the first time they wag their tail. This dog was in a very bad way but he still managed to show that he was happy to be here,” Mr van Ooran wrote in the June 2014 mail-out. The letter also asked for donations.
Mr Ball wrote: “The CEO commenced with the RSPCA WA in 2012 and it is implausible that he ever saw the dog which he claims left him with a vivid memory. This was a false testimonial. Seeking money by deception, by emotional dishonesty, brings RSPCA into undeserved disrepute.
“If the board was aware of his actions, they should be ashamed. If they don’t know what he is doing, they should be ashamed.”
Mr van Ooran responded: “Throughout the year RSPCA participates in campaigns nationally in relation to our animal welfare activities and it is our belief that donors do see us and our rescue and advocacy work, done as a united body. Because of this, it was felt that it was not necessary to disclose that the incident occurred in NSW as it could have occurred anywhere in Australia. It was in fact one of the worst kelpie cases I had seen or heard about.”
Mr van Ooran denied RSPCA inspectors are too prosecution focused.
“Last year RSPCA WA received more than 20,000 calls to its cruelty line,” he said.
“Inspectors investigated more than 6100 cruelty reports. Twenty-three prosecutions were secured over the same period. This equates to 0.004 per cent. There has been 45 successful prosecutions over the last two years and zero unsuccessful prosecutions.”
In his report, Mr Ball took aim at governance issues and rule changes which he said made the board much less representative of members and made it more susceptible to take over by a sectional group.
There was also no longer a requirement for a vet, a representative of DAFWA or the Police Commissioner to serve on the board.
Mr Ball lamented shrinking membership numbers and the large number of staff dismissals in the past three years and “unprecedented claims against management through Fair Work Australia”.
“A concern which I have is that 11 employees terminated instantly in June were allegedly told the reason for their dismissal was that RSPCA had financial trouble,” he said.
But Mr Ball said the charity’s balance sheet had never been stronger in its 123-year history. The Sunday Times understand Mr Ball’s wife was among staff laid off.
Mr Ball said the charity’s much-lauded Education Unit had “virtually dissolved”. Education is a key component of the $500,000-a-year grant agreement with the Government — Mr van Ooran said the education unit had been restructured, not closed.
“The CEO may claim that the unit has not been closed but it is apparent that the facilities funded for education are not being used,” Mr Ball wrote in his report.
When contacted, Mr Ball declined to comment or elaborate on his report.
OF all the complaints to surface about the RSPCA in WA, the tale of Izzy the cavalier king charles spaniel and her four pups is probably the most bizarre.
The story, which went viral on social media two years ago, continues to confound.
It got very serious, though, for midwife Catherine Kirke and her vet husband David when they were threatened with legal action for telling their story on Facebook. It spread quickly on pet forums.
The family were RSPCA foster carers looking after heavily pregnant Izzy, who had been rescued from a puppy farm. Izzy went from being extremely nervous, thin and unsocialised into a happy, friendly dog, who according to the Kirkes delivered four healthy and active pups: Rueben, Sukey, Polly and Morris.
A four-week check-up for the pups at the RSPCA’s Malaga centre turned out to be the last time Catherine saw them alive.
Although it took a while to get news, she said she was told by two staff there that Izzy and three of the pups had been euthanised for behavioural reasons. She and her family were devastated, as they had intended to adopt Izzy.
Dr Tim Piper, another Perth vet and friend of the Kirkes, who had worked as a senior vet at an RSPCA hospital in London for 10 years, had his heart set on one of the pups for his son. With his boy, he’d twice visited the pups and had picked one out. He registered his interest in adopting the pup with the RSPCA.
“Things went quiet (after the pups went in for their check-up) and I got a veterinary nurse on the phone and she told me all the puppies had been euthanised due to health issues,” he said. “When I asked what health issues she said she wasn’t prepared to disclose because of client confidentiality. She refused to tell me. I was told the mother (Izzy) was euthanised for behavioural reasons. I emailed (chief executive) David van Ooran laying out all the facts. I was pro-RSPCA.”
Dr Piper said he had a meeting with Mr van Ooran and the kennel manager. He said he was dissatisfied with the answers he got.
“He confirmed that the mother had been euthanised for behavioural reasons and the puppies had been euthanised for health reasons, but which he wasn’t prepared to divulge because he wasn’t a vet. He said they were in constant pain. I asked to see the X-rays and the diagnosis and he said it was confidential.”
Dr Piper had to tell his son that the pup he wanted had been put to sleep. “He said why? And I said, `sorry I can’t tell you I’m afraid.”
Dr Piper and the Kirkes thought that was that, until the RSPCA put out a release to quash all negative social media commentary. The information sheet, called “Izzy and her family — the truth”, revealed that Izzy was actually alive and had been rehomed, and that one of the pups, Morris, was also rehomed.
It said the other three puppies were euthanised after examinations identified “significant orthopaedic abnormalities” that meant they were in constant pain and discomfort.
“Contrary to what some people have posted on social media, the three puppies that were euthanised were not as a result of any behaviour assessment or due to any behavioural problems as stated in the story,” Mr van Ooran wrote
“The puppies underwent an extensive clinical examination by a vet with additional postgraduate veterinary qualifications. These examinations identified significant orthopaedic abnormalities and the puppies were in constant pain and discomfort.
“These conditions were not treatable or curable and the very sad and difficult decision was made to euthanise the puppies.”
Mr van Ooran said he personally advised the foster carers that Izzy and Morris had been rehomed, which they deny.
Catherine told PerthNow: “I couldn’t get anyone to talk to me, so that was when I took it further and put it on social media. No-one official would come back and tell me what had happened. I had cared for these puppies and Izzy for two months and got Izzy to a point where she was really good and no one had the decency to get back to me and tell me what had happened. We were gutted. It was all very cloak and dagger.
“We had said we would give Izzy a home, we had said that from the word go, so why would they tell us she was euthanised and then rehome her with someone else? And secondly I have video footage of those puppies and they ran around like perfectly normal puppies.
“My husband is a vet with 25 years experience and I think if they had any bone deformities we would have picked it up,” she added.
Dr Piper said: “I spent 30 minutes with the pups on two occasions … as far as I was concerned they were perfectly normal healthy puppies. ”
Catherine said temperament was flagged as an issue when she took the dogs in for the four week check.
“They were weighing them. The pups had never been out of my house basically, they were sitting in a crate and were nervous. One of the vets grabbed one of the pups and scared it half to death. It squealed as she picked it up.
“But apparently that set off warning bells for temperament issues with the puppies.
“The kennel manager came and took me into his office and said they were keeping Izzy and her puppies there because they were concerned about her temperament and concerned about the puppies’ temperaments and that they wanted to keep them there and assess them. I wasn’t happy and said they were too young to be temperament assessed anyway.
“I said `well you can’t keep four-week-old puppies in a kennel situation … I said if you’re worried about their temperaments the best way to damage them is to stick them in a kennel.”
“That was the last time I ever saw them,” she added.
THE RSPCA, a registered charity, cannot prosecute in its own name.
Its staff can prosecute only if they are appointed general inspectors under the Animal Welfare Act.
And for that to happen they must be appointed by the director-general of the Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Rob Delane.
That’s because Mr Delane’s department is responsible for administering the Act.
But on Friday, the department claimed, in answers to PerthNowand The Sunday Times, that RSPCA prosecutions “are not commenced on behalf of the state”.
If not on behalf of the state, who then?
Although empowered by Mr Delane, his department doesn’t think it has to then oversee how these public office holders exercise that power. So who is providing oversight of these general inspectors if DAFWA isn’t?
Such is the muddled thinking within the department, which took over administration of the Animal Welfare Act in 2011.
An investigation by PerthNow and The Sunday Times found DAFWA and Mr Delane did attempt to assert some control over the activities of RSPCA-employed inspectors when it received serious complaints in 2012.
Correspondence obtained via the Freedom of Information applications, revealed escalating tension between DAFWA and the RSPCA Inspectorate.
The RSPCA, though, appears to have won major concessions with regards to maintaining a prosecution policy independent from DAFWA’s prosecution policy, even though all general inspectors serve the same Act.
General inspectors employed by DAFWA to police animal welfare in the livestock sector are expected to adhere to the department’s compliance, enforcement and prosecution policy, which recommends alternatives to prosecution in all but the most serious cases.
Cases are also assessed by the State Solicitor’s Office before proceeding.
Earlier this month, The Sunday Times asked Mr Delane if he was satisfied that all general inspectors were complying with the policy. The department replied that its policies were developed for DAFWA operations and did not apply to general inspectors employed by the RSPCA.
What they didn’t say though, was that DAFWA’s policy did apply to the RSPCA inspectors – until last year.
It was a condition of the 2012 grant agreement that saw the Government give
$1 million over two years to the RSPCA. When the grant agreement was renewed last year, the condition to adopt DAFWA’s policy was conspicuously missing.
Asked why the condition had been dropped, DAFWA replied: “Like all new arrangements and partnership agreements, there is a process of review and change.”
It also confirmed that no prosecutions initiated by RSPCA inspectors have been referred to the State Solicitor’s Office.
The spokesman added that under a new memorandum of understanding between DAFWA and the RSPCA, both “have agreed to apply the principles of the DPP’s Statement of Prosecution Policy and Guidelines 2005”.
Unlike the grant agreement, the MoU is not legally binding.
Last month the RSPCA put its own prosecution policy on its website. It now has a prosecution panel, comprising its chief inspector, a general inspector and the charity’s internal lawyer.
Former RSPCA inspectors have told The Sunday Times that the chief executive David van Ooran used to have the final say on which cases progressed to court. Mr van Ooran confirmed that was the case up until two years ago.
Last week, we asked DAFWA: “Why was the CEO of a private charitable organisation – who isn’t a general inspector and has no statutory powers – calling the shots on which cases go to court and which ones don’t?”
DAFWA replied that we should direct our question to the RSPCA.
For those frustrated or bewildered by a seeming lack of accountability and oversight, it was another sign that the department charged with administering the Act doesn’t want to oversee how the Act is being policed by some of those it gave powers to.
They will be encouraged that Agriculture and Food Minister Ken Baston has ordered a review, which will “look at whether there is a consistent and appropriate approach to the administration and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act”.
“The review, which will address many of the issues that concern animal owners and the community, is under way,” he said.
“I expect to report back to Parliament in August.”
08 Friday May 2015
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inThe RSPCA says the discovery of dozens of cats at a house in suburban Perth is one of the worst cases inspectors have ever seen.
As part of a major operation, RSPCA inspectors today seized 49 cats from the property after receiving a complaint about the number of cats living in appalling conditions.
Inspectors found rotten food covered in maggots, rancid water and a strong smell of cat urine and faeces, which covered the floor and the walls.
“The RSPCA began the operation early this morning and seized 49 cats from the property under the Animal Welfare Act and took them back to RSPCA for veterinary examination and treatment,” a spokesman said.
“The cats were allegedly locked in cages, some outside and some inside the house on the property, with some of the animals showing signs of infections, illnesses and other injuries.”
RSPCA inspectors are continuing their investigation.
“This is one of the worst cases our inspectors have ever come across,” RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said.
The Cat Haven and Oscar’s Law are assisting the RSPCA.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/19796837/49-cats-seized-from-perth-house/
08 Friday May 2015
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inWhen Jamie Kidd read in her local newspaper how two women who rescue abandoned and mistreated animals were facing homelessness, she knew how to help.
Her former home in Wanneroo with big sheds and a detached games room was sitting empty and, being an animal lover, she decided to rent it out to the mother and daughter.
The pair requested that they not be subject to property inspections because they did not want the animals to be disturbed and claimed they were already subject to checks by the local council and the RSPCA.
Two years on, Ms Kidd had to use the courts system to evict them last week after they trashed the house, leaving big piles of rotting straw, faeces, newspapers, clothing and food wrappers throughout the home.
She was left with a horrendous mess to clean up and an unlivable property.
The tenants have since paid for a company to come in and clean up the rubbish but Ms Kidd has to replace the carpets and skirting boards and find a way to get rid of the bad smell.
“I saw the story and felt sorry for them and I wanted to help out because I love animals,” Ms Kidd said. “But in the end the floor was covered in straw, faeces, pellets, water bowls, fleas and bugs.
“It was really bad. There were piles of muck in there and it was so bad that the carpets have disintegrated and the skirting boards are rotten.
“I’m sure they love animals but they were just dysfunctional.”
Ms Kidd said she was devastated by the state the home had been left in but was more upset that the animals had been living in such disgusting conditions.
“It was pretty disheartening and upsetting after all we’ve done to help them,” she said.
“Being a bit naive, we just believed them and let them move in. We won’t be renting out to anyone else in future.”
REIWA property management network co-chairwoman Jenni Wood said bad tenants did exist.
She said private landlords needed to do all the appropriate checks on prospective tenants and invest in a comprehensive landlord protection insurance policy.
“Unfortunately, a lot of private landlords get sucker-punched by tenants playing that sympathy or mercy card,” Ms Wood said.
“Private landlords really need to be ruthless and stick to the blueprint that’s given to them with the Residential Tenancies Act.”
Ms Wood said most tenants who “fell off the wagon” did not intend to be bad tenants but circumstances led them in that direction.
“They could have poor education, poor life experience, it could be mental health issues or they just come from a low-socioeconomic background and they don’t know how to meet those expectations,” she said.
Source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/25763189/kindness-led-to-costly-clean-up/
08 Friday May 2015
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inA Gosnells woman was today fined $11,000 for failing to adequately feed three horses in her care.
RSPCA inspectors visited Sharon Richardson’s property in September 2012 after receiving information about three skinny horses.
They found a three-year-old bay mare named “Mia” and a chestnut mare named “Sadie” in poor condition. A third horse, known as “Catch a Dream” was in a worse state, the RSPCA said.
A direction notice to provide proper and sufficient food for the animals was issued to Richardson.
During a follow-up visit in October, inspectors were told the horses were getting chaff and hay twice daily.
Inspectors discovered an empty feed shed and seized an emaciated horse. A veterinarian checked the condition of the horses and Richardson was issued with two further direction notices.
RSPCA inspectors again returned to the property with a vet on December 5 to follow up on the orders.
They found the condition of the horses had further deteriorated and noted there was no hay or feed anywhere in the paddock.
The remaining two horses were seized under the Animal Welfare Act and taken back to the RSPCA for examination.
In today’s court decision, Richardson was also banned from being in charge of horses for three years and was ordered to pay $4379.50 in costs to the RSPCA.
RSPCA chief inspector Amanda Swift said she was satisfied with the outcome.
“If an RSPCA inspector issues a direction notice to take care of an animal, that must be adhered to and failure to comply can end up in prosecution as happened today,” she said.
source: https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/22185555/skinny-horses-cost-owner-11k/
08 Friday May 2015
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in
Richard Robert Drozd, 52, Wanneroo, pleaded guilty to eight charges of animal cruelty relating to the severe neglect of three Arab horses and a pony.
The animals were seized by RSPCA Inspectors in February 2013 after grave concerns for their health and welfare.
Remarkably, a stallion which was emaciated so badly that he collapsed several times during initial treatment, has since made an incredible recovery after 12 months of intensive rehabilitation by the RSPCA.
During the investigation, Mr Drozd told Inspectors that a vet came out to check the horses, however further investigations revealed that this had not occurred.
Mr Drozd claimed he was unable to afford food for the horses after separation from his wife however he would not consider giving the remaining horses away. Mr Drozd refused to surrender the horses to the RSPCA until months in to the investigation.
Chief Inspector Amanda Swift described the stallion in this case as one of the worst cases of horse neglect she had seen in her 15 years with RSPCA in WA and in the UK.
“Mr Drozd is an experienced horse owner and has the knowledge to know the requirements to care for a horse. The treatment of these horses is disgraceful and his actions completely inexcusable” said Ms Swift.
“The good news is that, against the odds, two of these horses were successfully rehabilitated and are now in great condition and in loving homes. It’s quite amazing to see how they have been transformed” said Ms Swift.
After receiving treatment, the pony and one horse were euthanized due to unrelated medical conditions.
Mr Drozd was also ordered to pay over $10,000 in veterinary costs.
Media contact: Maree Daniels, RSPCA WA, 0417 859 600
The two horses who were successfully rehabilitated and are now in great condition and in loving homes.
08 Friday May 2015
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inLucy Martin reported this story on Monday, May 4, 2015 18:30:00
source: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4229249.htm
ASHLEY HALL: The animal welfare group the RSPCA has stepped up its opposition to recreational hunting, with a series of newspaper ads in Western Australia showing graphic images of dead animals.
The ads are designed to put pressure on the State Government, which is considering introducing a trial of recreational shooting on public land.
But shooters say the campaign is an overly political waste of money.
Lucy Martin has more.
LUCY MARTIN: The image is designed to shock; a photo of a dead deer hanging from a tree branch juxtaposed with a trophy.
Lynne Bradshaw is from the RSPCA.
LYNNE BRADSHAW: We’re hoping that the message being portrayed is animals actually don’t deserve to be treated cruelly, they’re not trophies.
LUCY MARTIN: The RSPCA has placed a series of graphic full page advertisements in WA newspapers to make a point about recreational shooting.
Under current laws, recreational shooting is allowed on private land with the permission of the owner. Now the State Government is considering allowing hunting on public land too.
A parliamentary committee has recommended a two-year trial on former pastoral land in WA’s north and a forest in the south-west.
Lynne Bradshaw says the Government should do more to police illegal hunting on public lands before it even considers introducing a formal system.
LYNNE BRADSHAW: There is no monitoring, so it’s really open slather and that’s fine if you’re an expert marksman. But for hobby hunters, it’s… it’s… it’s just not… animal welfare doesn’t seem to be a consideration at all.
And it’s alright to say, look you know, people will get a license and people will do this, but we can’t even control what we’ve got. And that’s really the biggest issue.
LUCY MARTIN: Labor MP Chris Tallentire has gone one step further, suggesting recreational hunting on public land would lead to a weakening of gun laws put in place after the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.
CHRIS TALLENTIRE: What we’re worried about is that if we were to allow unchecked shooting to go on in national parks, on public land, that we would then see a weakening of our existing gun laws. And this idea of recreational shooting in national parks, in state forests, on our public lands is something that we just cannot contemplate. Any move in that direction would be a weakening of our current gun laws.
LUCY MARTIN: Rick Mazza is the head of the parliamentary committee that recommended the trial. He’s also a Shooters and Fishers Party MP.
RICK MAZZA: Well my response to that is simply that is nonsense. That has not been the experience in other states. The changes to the firearms act would be minimal if any. Currently there we have a very, very strict regime for firearms licensing in this state and whether you’re licensed currently to be able to use a firearm on private land with permission, you would simply have that extension then to public land with permission.
So suggestions that there would be a US-style gun culture are absolute nonsense.
LUCY MARTIN: Mr Mazza says the trial would use an online booking and GPS tracking system similar to New South Wales.
RICK MAZZA: New South Wales and Victoria particularly have hunting systems on public lands in most states. Both of those are very valuable to the economy and they also play a big part culturally and the ability for people to be able to harvest their own free-range organic meat.
There would be a risk assessment of the forest blocks that would be allocated. People would have to undertake an accreditation course to make sure that they are capable of conducting humane hunting. So there is checks and balances in place to ensure that animal welfare is recognised.
LUCY MARTIN: He’s attacked the RSPCA for spending money on what he calls political advertising.
RICK MAZZA: I made a couple of inquires last week actually about the cost of full page ad in the West Australian, which the card rate some $18,000.
So even with a substantial discount it seems like an extraordinary amount of money from the RSPCA to be spending on this type of campaign when the money could be better spent at animal shelters and that types of things. You know like, the two ads would have bought a lot of pet food.
LUCY MARTIN: The State Government is expected to respond to the committee’s recommendation by the end of this month.
ASHLEY HALL: That report from Lucy Martin
08 Friday May 2015
Posted Uncategorized
inThe head of the RSPCA has lashed out at critics who accuse it of lacking accountability and being driven by ideology, saying they are “trying to cast aspersions” and “playing politics”.
As Premier Colin Barnett hosed down calls for an inquiry into the animal welfare group, the RSPCA’s WA president Lynne Bradshaw reacted angrily to claims it was misusing taxpayers’ money.
Upper House Shooters and Fishers MP Rick Mazza moved in Parliament on Wednesday to establish an inquiry into the RSPCA.
He wants an investigation into how it uses its unique powers to charge people over animal welfare breaches and how it spends State funds.
Mr Mazza’s call was supported by Agriculture Minister Ken Baston, who suggested during debate the RSPCA was not subject to enough oversight and appeared to be motivated by ideology rather than “science and firm policy”.
A separate Government review of how the State regulates animal welfare is due to report by August.
The RSPCA launched an advertising campaign this week referring to recreational shooters as “trophy hunters”.
Ms Bradshaw said yesterday that claims the RSPCA was somehow misusing taxpayers’ funds by running the campaign were “absolutely wrong” and the $500,000 it received from the State was accounted for.
She said critics’ accusations were invariably baseless and ignorant and flew in the face of public support for the RSPCA.
In a rebuff to Mr Baston, Mr Barnett poured cold water on the push for an inquiry and said that though he disagreed with some of the RSPCA’s positions, it “does a good job”.
“It’s a highly respected organisation,” Mr Barnett, an RSPCA patron, told ABC radio.
“It cares for abandoned and injured animals in shelters.”
However, the Premier did appear to leave the door open to supporting a recreational hunting trial in national parks and nature reserves after an Upper House committee recommended the move.
He said though he was not convinced such a trial could be done safely, he was willing to listen to the arguments in favour, noting that introduced pests such as cats and wild pigs were a major environmental problem in WA.