Compulsory cat registration in QLD – an expensive flop

In 2009, under pressure from animal welfare groups, the QLD state government compelled local councils to introduce state-wide compulsory registration for cats. South-east Queensland councils were required to rollout the laws from July 1, while local governments in the rest of Queensland were given until December 2010 to introduce their registration systems.

The new laws required that cats be registered with the local government, wear physical identification and allowed for council to provide incentives for desexing in registration fees. Councils could also introduce pet-limit laws and curfews.

At the time the president of the Australian Veterinary Association, Dr Mark Lawrie, said “mandatory desexing or cat registration would not reduce the amount of animals being put down in pounds” and that “the cost of compliance is prohibitive and would be better spent on other methods.”

And in execution it seems that he was right. The idea of a statewide database of registered cats seems to have turned from animal welfare dream, to administrative nightmare, with the laws being repealed after just three years. The Agriculture and Forestry Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 was passed in Parliament on 10 September 2013 and has;

… repealed state-wide mandatory cat registration to empower and reduce the regulatory burden and red tape for councils and cat owners.

Biosecurity Queensland Officer Greg McDougall said councils have 28 days from today to determine the course of action appropriate for their area.

Changes to mandatory cat registration – My Sunshine Coast

Councils will be granted authorisation to keep any cat registration programs should they desire, however according to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, state-wide mandatory cat registration is now opposed by many local governments because;

– the issues associated with the keeping of cats are impracticable for many local governments to effectively address
– it does not yield appreciable benefits for its constituents, despite revenue earnings to fund animal management programs, and
– micro-chipping achieves the same outcome more effectively and at lower cost.

While the legislation has few remaining supporters;

Consultation on the amendments to the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 to remove mandatory State-wide cat registration requirements was conducted with the
– Queensland division of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)
– Animal Welfare League of Queensland (AWLQ)
– RSPCA
– Queensland Feline Association
– Dogs Queensland
– Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ) and Department of Local Government
– Community Recovery and Resilience (DLGCRR)

… and Animal management officers from;
– Blackall Tambo Regional Council
– Cairns Regional Council
– Central Highlands Regional Council
– Charters Towers Regional Council
– Gold Coast City Council
– Longreach Regional Council
– Moreton Bay Regional Council
– Southern Downs Regional Council
– Toowoomba Regional Council were also consulted.

All those consulted were supportive of the removal of mandatory cat registration requirements, except the AWLQ, which, although not strongly opposed, were reluctant to see cat registration requirements wound back.

The amendments will bring Queensland in line with SA, TAS, ACT and the NT which do not impose state-wide cat registration requirements (NSW, VIC and WA are the other jurisdictions with state legislation that requires owners to register their cats).

Biosecurity Queensland Officer Greg McDougall said councils have 28 days from today to determine the course of action appropriate for their area.

“Councils are best placed to decide the most practical and appropriate approach to local issues associated with domestic cat ownership.”

Further supporting the obvious conclusion that while animal welfare groups may have grand animal management aspirations, their legislative ‘solutions’ are often not grounded in reality or effective law making, and that allowing them to lead the debate often sets communities on an expensive path to failure.