Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Friday I popped into the Second Chance Animal Rescue shelter in my electorate, in Campbellfield. I want to take the opportunity to thank them for the enormous amount of good work that they do in assisting members of our community to take care of their pets and in finding foster homes for pets that no longer have homes. I'd also like to congratulate this organisation on receiving $200,000 from the Victorian Labor government in the Pick My Project initiative. This money will help them set up Hume's first ever community animal hospital.

Marisa, who runs the shelter, and her team of very dedicated volunteers understand the importance of owning and caring for animals. All of them understand the value that pets add to families and the joy they bring to a home. Knowing this, they have combined their shelter with a robust foster care program, which sees up to 300 animals being fostered out to homes of people who do love animals but who simply don't want them there in the long-term—a bit like the grandparents and the grandchildren. So there is a huge network of foster homes. They also look out for those in my community who've found that they need assistance with the care of their pets. They provide heavily subsidised vet fees, pet food and kitty litter for those in financial hardship, and they provide safe, short-term accommodation for pets of those who have found themselves without a stable home.