4 March 2016

WA RANGERS ASSOCIATION INC.ABN: 15 827 359 591

PO BOX 334 Tel: (08) 9448 7565

North Beach 6920 Fax: (08) 9203 7565

WESTERN AUSTRALIA E-mail: admhawaranuers.asn.au

Service and Integrity

Hon Rick Mazza MLCParliament HousePerth Western Australia 6000

By email: council@carlicirrentwa.qov.auCc: soarsons@parliament.wa.clov.au

Dear Hon Rick Mazza MLC

RESPONSE TO SELECT COMMITTEE INTO THE OPERATION OF THE RSPCA

Thank you for allowing the WA Rangers Association to comment on the operation of theRSPCA {WA) and Chief Inspector; Ms Amanda Swift's comments about the misuse of theAnimal Welfare Act by Local Government Rangers.

Please see answers below to the questions asked;1. Generally, how would you characterise the relationship between your members and

the RSPCA?

The relationship between Local Government Rangers and the RSPCA has significantlyimproved over recent years. In general, there is a sound working relationship withnumerous Local Government Rangers. Recently the re-instatement of the PolicyGroup involving DAFWA as the lead agency with RSPCA, WA Rangers Association andother industry stakeholders as members is a step in the right direction. This Policygroup is currently working towards various guidelines with regards to Animal Welfareand various issues that in particular, Local Government Rangers deal with on a day today basis. For example, there has been a guideline introduced for the trapping ofcats which has assisted Local Governments immensely.

In rural areas most resources are stretched and to achieve a positive outcome bothrangers and RSPCA must rely on their knowledge and relationships built within thecommunity.

It is mentioned that DAFWA has provided evidence that there are 59 LocalGovernment General Inspectors. However I would like to question the number ofactive Local Government General Inspectors listed with DAFWA, as there are someLocal Governments that were authorised under the Animal Welfare Act but have notactively engaged in Animal Welfare in recent times.

RSPCA are administering the Animal Welfare Act using their available resources.However, there are many minor animal weifare issues that are simply not addresseddue to the number of offences versus the number of inspectors available. WARA does

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believe there should be an increase in Animal Welfare inspectors authorised under theAnimal Welfare Act.

The RSPCA having limited Inspectors and the number af General Inspectors with LocalGovernments is decreasing due to the extra workloads that are not funded by StateGovernment. The workload for Local Government Rangers has increased over theyears with various extra Acts and Regulations they need to administer. There are asignificant number of Local Governments that do not get involved with AnimalWelfare due to this reason. There are a significant number of Local Governments thatare not supportive of their resources being used for what is essentially a StateGovernment responsibility, specifically their staff being authorised as GeneralInspectors under the Animal Welfare Act.

Anecdotally it has been noted that in some circumstances the authorised LocalGovernment Rangers are left to investigate and action compIaints under thislegislation, as the RSPCA is unable to attend or investigate many of the reports ofneglect, abuse or concern, all Animal Welfare issues.

If a Local Government permits their staff to become Authorised Officers, it appearsthat in some circumstances the investigation and complaint handling is undertakenby the Local Government. This will then be handed over to the Prosecuting Body for adecision on whether or not further action or prosecution should occur.

It seems that at times Local Governments are being used to carry the resource heavyworkload only to have the final result and actions decided on by an external body,with little to no recognition for the work and at no expense to the prosecuting body.

2. Specifically, how do you respond to allegations made by the Society that some localgovernment rangers have 'bungled' cases brought under the Animal Welfare Act?I am not aware of any "alleged" specific cases that Local Government Rangers have"bungled" an animal welfare investigation. I would be interested in RSPCA producingevidence of these alleged incidents occurring.

What strategies, if any, need to be put in place to ensure that future bungles do notoccur?As stated above, RSPCA need to produce evidence of these alleged "bungles" for anaccurate comment to be provided. However I do believe that since DAFWA havetaken over as the lead agency for Animal Welfare that appropriate training needs tobe conducted with all General Inspectors. It is not up to \NARA or Local Governmentto train General Inspectors.

3. Please advise the Committee of the training, guidance and support rangers are givenwith regard to enforcing and complying with the Animal Welfare Act 2002, given thatnot all rangers are appointed as general inspectors? Is this training, guidance andsupport sufficient to ensure the consistent application of the law?The WA Rangers Association cannot comment generally about the accuracy oftraining; however we do believe there should be a standard set by the lead agencyof the Animal Welfare Act.

Previously when the Department of Local Government were administrating the AnimalWelfare Act, there was training provided to individual Local Governments thatregistered their Rangers as General Inspectors under the Animal Welfare Act. Thistraining was generally conducted at the Local Government one on one, with theRangers explaining the Act and the role of General Inspectors and the necessarytraining in enforcing the Act. Since the Department of Agriculture has taken over,

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there has been limited training available to new and existing General Inspectors.Easier access to information and guidelines need to be a priority. For example,information sheets for Local Government and industries need to be easily accessedand promoted. This also relates back to sufficient training.

4. The Committee is interested in your response to Ms Swift's comments about the misuseof the Animal Welfare Act by local government rangers. Please comment.After reading Ms Swift's comments, it is very disappointing to see her opinion and toread the outrageous comments that she has made.

Ms •Swift has stated that "The Animal Welfare Act, for them, is basically getting intoback gardens because they are not allowed to."

Ms Swift also states "Rangers are taking animals out of a back garden, using theAnimal Welfare Act, and then, once it is out of the garden, that legislation flips and itsuddenly becomes the Dog Act, and people's dogs are being renomed often afterthe standard two or three days or whatever and off they go."

WARA is highly offended by Ms Swifts comment That Local Government Rangers usethe Animal Welfare Act just to get into back gardens, as we believe this is definitelyuntrue. I would be interested in Ms Amanda Swift producing evidence of thesealleged incidents occurring. Local Government Rangers are authorised under variousActs and Regulations including the Dog Act, for which we don't need the AnimalWelfare Act to allow us to get a specific outcome. Making unsupported, non-evidenced matters of opinion, accusing rangers of committing these actions, hardlyinspires any confidence for the near future when establishing and maintaining therelationships needed to effectively maintain relationships.

Ms Swift has also made comment about seizing animals. Local Governments seizedogs with regards to dog attacks and the like, and have them in the pounds whilstwaiting on a prosecution. This is very similar to RSPCA seizing animals under the AnimalWelfare Act and holding them until a court hearing is done. I do agree that LocalGovernments shouldn't be seizing animals under the Animal Welfare Act, as it is up toauthorised body to accommodate this.

5. Concerns have been raised with the Commiffee about the lack of compliance with,and enforcement of, the Animal Welfare Act 2002 in regional WA. What challengesand solutions have been identified by Western Australian Rangers Association in thisregard?

The RSPCA have limited Inspectors and the numbers of General Inspectors with LocalGovernments are decreasing due to the extra workloads that are not funded by StateGovernment. RSPCA are administering the Animal Welfare Act using the limitedresources available, but they are especially limited in regional areas, as they have alarge area to cover with those limited resources. The main solution for this would be toemploy more inspectors especially in regional areas.

Possible other solutions that have been identified are;- Increased public education of the basic needs of animals.- Development of a code of practice or formal guidelines for pet owners.- Increasing advertising.- Easier access to information and guidelines i.e Farm notes etc, for Local Governmentand industries

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As mentioned earlier, the re-instatement of the Policy Group involving DAFWA as thelead agency with, RSPCA, WA Rangers Association and other industry stakeholders asmembers is a step in the right direction.

WARA believes that the State Government should take back the control of the AnimalWelfare Act, fund and control the following points;

- Increase the Inspector pool- Must be State Government regulated- Must be appropriately trained and qualified- Must come together regularly for moderation- Must be cleared through Police Checks at the cost of State Government, not

the General Inspector or Local Government.- Expenses should be borne by the State Government as the responsible body for

The legislation- An MOU clearly defining roles between all stakeholders with the agreement of

real costs involved.

Local Government concerns- Re-imbursements for Local Governments that support and supply General Inspectorsworkforce i.e. initial investigations and complaint handling etc- Communication with Local Governments regarding entering localities, enforcementissues, animal ownership bans in their localities etc- Authorised Officers under the Act should be regulated and governed by the StateGovernment- Ensuring they are able to be held accountable for enforcement actions, issues andresponses- Single governing body would be responsible for actions taken- One point of contact for public, Local Governments and other Stakeholders to dealwith- Will give clarity to Local Governments, Authorised Officers and the public

6. The Committee has been advised that there has been a recent spike in animalhoarding cases in Western Australia. The Committee is aware that, in 2013, the WAHealth Department published hoarding guidelines and a toolkit, but has been told thatother agencies have so far failed to respond.The Committee is interested in your views about the prevalence of animal hoarding inWestern Australia and its impact on the Western Australian Rangers Association.The WA Rangers Association is not aware of the current statistics of animal hoardingcases currently in WA. However Local Government Rangers and EnvironmentalHealth Officers are the Local Government responders to Animal Hoarding within theirjurisdiction together with other agencies. Officers carry out inspections of properties,identify the risks and work towards a possible outcome. Unfortunately with mostanimal hoarding cases, it involves a person with a large number of animals who isunable to provide adequate care for those animals. The Rangers and EHO's are inmost cases able to deal with it under specific legislation, whether it be the Health Act,Local Laws, Dog Act, Cat Act or Animal Welfare Act. Inter-agency collaboration isalso used in various cases to assist with the person involved and/or the animals. Thismay be RSPCA, Department of Health, WA Police, Mental Health or other welfareagencies.

Unfortunately the WA Rangers Association initially was not aware of the Departmentof Heath's hoarding guidelines and toolkit as there has been no interaction betweenthe appropriate stakeholders. This should have been promoted amongst LocalGovernment Rangers and the WA Rangers Association when the toolkit wasintroduced in 2013.

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7. Please provide any further comments relating to the terms of reference that couldassist the Committee in its deliberations.it has been noted that in some circumstances the authorised Local GovernmentRangers are left to investigate and action complaints under this legislation, as theRSPCA is unable to attend or investigate many of the reports of neglect abuse orconcern.

In general there has been an increase in the amount of calls from residents thatLocal Governments receive, who have been told by the RSPCA Inspectorate to calltheir Local Government Ranger.

WARA believes that the State Government should take back the control of theAnimal Welfare Act and make its own arrangements for delivering the Act.

Should you have any enquiries, please contact me on 0418 926 463 or via emailpresidenf@waronoers.asn.au

Yours sincerely

7ifere.„,

DENE LAWRENCEPRESIDENTWA RANGERS ASSOCIATION

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