28 August 2020
At the 27 August 2020 Ordinary Meeting, Council endorsed the submission made to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy’s inquiry into the problem of feral and domestic cats in Australia; and that Community consultation be undertaken on feral and domestic cat management strategies.
The submission was drafted by Council officers in consultation with a local native wildlife group and submitted on 30 July 2020.
The submission addressed the following:
· Prevalence of feral and domestic cats in Australia,
· The effectiveness of current legislative and regulatory approaches,
· The efficacy (in terms of reducing the impact of cats), cost effectiveness and use of current and emerging methods and tools for controlling feral cats, including baiting, the establishment of feral cat-free areas using conservation fencing, gene drive technology.
· Public awareness and education in relation to the feral and domestic cat problem.
· Interaction between domestic cat ownership and the feral cat problem, and best practice approaches to the keeping of domestic cats in this regard.
Southern Downs Councillor for Environmental, Waste, Sustainability, and Disaster Management Cameron Gow noted the impact cats have on native wildlife and the importance of responsible pet ownership.
“It’s no secret the impact that feral cats have on our natural environment. But what is often left out of the conversation is the damage domestic cats can cause and how, if not responsibly cared for, they can contribute to the feral population” said Councillor Gow.
“Cats can be great pets and we need to do what we can to make sure that their health and the companionship they can offer to cat owners is not at the expense of our unique biodiversity.”
Council applied for funding through the second round of the Australian Government’s Communities Combating Pest and Weed Impacts During Drought Program. The application was successful and $174,000 has been received by Council to deliver a cat management project through 2020/2021 and 2021/2022. In recognition of the increasing cat problem in the Southern Downs Region, Council is considering implementing cat management strategies through the project. These strategies may include compulsory micro-chipping, registration and de-sexing (unless you are a registered breeder) for domestic cat ownership.
For more information on Council news, visit www.sdrc.qld.gov.au/news. Alternatively, call 1300 MY SDRC (1300 697 372), email mail@sdrc.qld.gov.au, or use the MySDRC app.