Released 10/02/2022
The ACT Government has introduced new legislation to help Canberra’s cats live longer and healthier lives, while better protecting native wildlife.
“Cats provide love and companionship to many Canberrans. This new bill will promote responsible cat ownership, cat health and protect the environment,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
From 1 July 2022 all cats will be required to be registered, with details to be updated annually. Existing owners will be able to register their cat for free while new owners after this date will pay a small one-off fee. The new requirement for cat registration and fees mirror the ACT’s annual dog registration scheme.
“Introducing annual registration for cats will mean we can reunite lost cats with their families more quickly by having up-to-date contact details and will ensure better education and enforcement of responsible cat ownership,” said Minister Steel.
The legislation also expands cat containment across Canberra for cats born from 1 July 2022. Cats born before this date will be continue to be allowed to roam, unless they live in one of Canberra’s 17 declared cat containment suburbs.
“We understand that existing cats and their owners may not be prepared for, or used to, full containment. The grandfathering approach for existing pet cats strikes the right balance to allow a fair and gradual transition,” Minister Steel said.
In line with current ACT Government policy, new Canberra suburbs will continue to be declared as cat containment areas as they are developed. However, the bill also updates the rules for declared cat containment areas to allow cats to be walked on a leash in these suburbs.
“Pet cats who roam live shorter lives on average and have higher rates of disease than those that are contained to the home. They also cause significant harm to native wildlife like Canberra’s great bird population,” said Minister Steel.
“These changes start an important transition towards a new model of pet ownership that will see cats living healthier and safer lives, and will protect native wildlife.”
The bill contains new strict liability offences for pet owners who do not register their cats or keep them contained when they are required to be. However, the ACT Government will be taking an educative approach to compliance during the transition to the new scheme, to give pet owners and the Canberra community time to understand the new requirements.
These reforms to cat registration and containment implement key elements of the ACT Cat Plan released in 2021.
- Statement ends -
Chris Steel, MLA | Media Releases