Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on matters of importance to all creatures great and small. Last week I had the pleasure of joining Jason Wood MP, the member for La Trobe, to relaunch the Parliamentary Friends of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the RSPCA. Also with us was Gary Humphries, the chair of RSPCA Australia; its CEO, Heather Neil; RSPCA chief scientist Dr Bridda Jones; and veterinarian Dr Bronwyn Orr, who was there to answer all our animal and pet related questions. Their generosity with their time and expertise was critical to the success of the event—that and, of course, the animal-shaped cupcakes!

The Parliamentary Friends of the RSPCA existed in previous parliaments under the chairmanship of then Senator Gary Humphries, among others, but had lapsed in recent times. So Jason Wood and I have committed the newly relaunched friendship group to some important goals, including supporting the prevention of cruelty to animals, both in Australia and internationally; promoting in parliament the work of the RSPCA and raising community awareness regarding the humane treatment of animals; encouraging the Australian government to promote animal welfare nationally, enact new legislation where required, and work with industry and RSPCA Australia to establish appropriate standards for animal care.

While Parliamentary friendship groups of the RSPCA have a long history in this place, it is as nothing compared to the history of the RSPCA in Australia. The RSPCA's Australian beginnings date back to Victoria in 1871, where a public meeting held to discuss the ill-treatment of horses led to the formation of the society. The RSPCA was established to promote animal welfare. It is an extraordinary organisation created by the community and driven by strong community support. This is no doubt partly because, at 63 per cent, Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Thirty-nine per cent of Australian households, like Jason's, own a dog, while 29 per cent of households, like mine, own a cat.

Today the RSPCA is one of the most trusted and respected charities in Australia. Amazingly, despite running shelters across the country and employing some 1,000 staff, the RSPCA is funded almost entirely through community donations. It does not just take in and care for lost, abandoned, and abused animals; it also investigates complaints of animal cruelty and provides information to millions of Australians about animal welfare and responsible animal care and pet ownership.

For me, as the lucky owner of Benny, the world's most wonderful cat, it pains me to acknowledge that cats remain the biggest issue for the RSPCA. It was an issue brought home to me during the launch as we listened to the presentation of Dr Jones. We heard that over the last two decades around 55,000 cats per year have been brought into Australian RSPCA shelters. That is enough cats to fill an Olympic swimming pool every five years. It is far and away the largest workload for shelters. Unfortunately, although numbers have been substantially reduced, many of these cats are still being euthanased.

Cats also remain a major threat to Australian wildlife. According to research by Edith Cowan University, they are implicated in the extinction of at least 20 Australian mammal species or subspecies. The RSPCA has been working hard to reduce this threat by promoting responsible cat ownership through desexing, proper registration, microchipping and containment.

I commend the work of the RSPCA in Australia and all of its divisions across the country, and I look forward to the Parliamentary Friends of the RSPCA's next event, where we will bring back the iconic Hounds on the Hill!