Draft animal management plan out for comment

Published on 29 October 2019

The public is invited to provide feedback on Horsham Rural City Council’s updated Domestic Animal Management Plan.

The Plan, required under Section 68A of the Domestic Animals Act 1994, sets out actions to ensure statutory requirements are met and objectives identified for effective animal management control are put in place.

Director Development Services Angela Murphy said the draft document was prepared in consultation with the Domestic Animal Management Advisory Group.

“It recognises that animals, both domestic and agricultural, are part of the community and they contribute to the quality of life,” Ms Murphy said.

“At the same time, it recognises the needs of non-pet owners so it seeks to minimise the risk of dog attacks, nuisance animals and addresses animal population control,” she said.

The municipality is home to 3782 registered dogs and 1769 registered cats.

Ms Murphy said one of the key issues that has already emerged from the preparation of the draft Plan is that Council needs to improve its data capture in this space.

The community is invited to provide feedback on the draft Plan until 5pm on Wednesday 27 November 2019, after which revisions will be considered before the final Plan is submitted to Council for adoption.

The Plan can be downloaded at hrcc.vic.gov.au and paper copies are available at Council reception.