Thank you for the enthusiastic response to our call for input into a new Domestic Animal Management Plan. We received nearly 200 responses to the survey.

These results will be collated, and presented to Council to help them be fully informed prior to adopting the proposed plan.

In November 2020, we conducted a review into local animal controls in the shire with the community to identify any animal management issues that are occurring and how we can address them.

Based on that feedback, we’ve developed a draft Domestic Animal Management Plan (2022-2025) and draft Order of Council that together, will provide a clear framework for the control of dogs and cats in public places within the shire, and clarify requirements on animal owners about where and when their pet must be placed under effective control.

Our goal is to ensure that people and pets can live harmoniously and coexist in our community, recognising and carefully balancing the needs of pets, pet owners, and those who do not own pets within the shire.

Proposed changes related to the management of dogs and cats in the shire include:

• applying different controls in urban and non-urban areas of the municipality
• establishing different control requirements at different times of day
• ban dogs from the playing surfaces of certain sporting grounds
• implementing a 24-hour cat curfew.

The new Order of Council is one of the actions identified in the current Domestic Animal Management Plan 2017-2021.

Council has a legislative requirement to renew the plan every four years, with the current plan due to expire on 12 December 2021.

The proposed Order of Council would not apply to working dogs or guide / assistance dogs.

Following community input, Council staff will present the draft documents to Councillors for consideration later this year.

Once adopted, the order will be distributed to the community in conjunction with a shire-wide education program to ensure residents and visitors are familiar with the new regulations as they come into effect.