Mr  J. BULL (Sunbury) — I want to start my contribution to the debate on the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment Bill 2015 by reflecting on the comments of the previous speaker, the member for Essendon. He mentioned how uplifting it was to hear the contributions this afternoon on the bill, and I certainly agree with him. We have heard many stories of pets within families — dogs, cats, roosters, chickens and foster chooks — and some of these stories are incredibly heartwarming and wonderful to hear. I particularly want to acknowledge the member for Eltham. She spoke about how it is her belief that the pets we have in our lives can make us better people and that we can learn a lot from animals. I thought they were wonderful comments.

This is a bill I feel extremely passionate about. While all bills that come through this house are important, there are some bills that members are very passionate about, and this is one of those bills. It is fair to say that in past months we have seen legislation come through that we would rather not be discussing, because we would rather many of these problems in the community had not happened in the first place — for example, the Crimes Amendment (Child Pornography and Other Matters) Bill 2015, which aims to toughen up laws on the distribution of and access to child pornography images.

These are bills that the Parliament must deal with, but ones which members would hope, in a perfect world, did not exist. Nonetheless they are before the house because we need to educate more people in order to become a more tolerant and fairer society. This bill is one of those pieces of legislation. It is fair to say it is only a minority of people who do these very nasty, cruel and wrong things; however, it is not common sense for all, and the Parliament must deal with these things as they arise.

It is often said that the mark of a good community is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens, and I certainly agree with that, but if we extend that to how animals can be and are treated, it must be said that animals by their very nature are extremely vulnerable. Like many members in this house, I grew up with a number of fantastic household pets — dogs, cats and birds — which were all cared for well and were very much loved. We were taught from a young age that taking care of an animal is an important responsibility, and I think that is a wonderful lesson in life. It is important for children to grow and learn and to have a pet to be responsible for.

The member for Narre Warren South mentioned programs within schools. I have to say one of the highlights of this year was representing the Minister for Agriculture at the 15th anniversary of the responsible pet ownership program. In the last 15 years the program has done some wonderful work looking at the importance of dog safety within primary schools, kindergartens, mental health centres and maternity hospitals. It was a fantastic celebration. Among the figures presented at the celebration was that the program had made 32 473 visits and 56 370 presentations to just over 2 million children over 15 years. It is fantastic when you think about each and every one of these programs and the way they have been run in schools.

I am not as yet a parent, but when I look at the children of friends and relatives and see the joy on their faces when there is a dog, cat or chicken in the 
classroom — —

Mr T. Bull interjected.

Mr J. BULL — A stud bull, thanks Bully. There are two Bulls in the house — enough bull!

On one of my teaching round days, a box of chickens was brought into the classroom, and the preps sat around the box. I remember the excitement in the room about what was in the box and when the chickens came out. It was not a bull; it was chickens. These are really important lessons for young people, and they go to the heart of taking care of animals and being somebody who cares about and loves animals.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 — or as many have referred to it, the POCTA act — is Victoria’s primary animal welfare legislation. This act protects the welfare of animals in Victoria and applies equally to all species and all uses of animals. The bill, as many members have already mentioned, addresses one of the first matters that this government dealt with — that is, live baiting in the greyhound industry. There is no place for live baiting in Victoria. It is sickening, barbaric and illegal. The government has agreed to implement the recommendations of the chief veterinary officer’s report into animal welfare in the greyhound industry, and the bill partially addresses those recommendations.

As many members have already mentioned in relation to the live baiting scandal, the ministers’ timely, proactive, passionate and speedy reaction to these sickening actions is to be commended. Through this the Andrews Labor government has once again demonstrated that horrific behaviour will not be tolerated. It is about education and about sending a message not only to those who do the wrong thing but also to the community as a whole — the wider community — to say that we live in a state and a nation that will not accept these types of behaviours.

It is important to get onto these things early to ensure that we protect those animals that are at risk as best we can, that this behaviour is punished and that those who carry out this behaviour are dealt with in the appropriate way and are no longer allowed to practice in the industry. Both reports into this matter were released on 11 June, as we have previously heard. In total 68 recommendations were made. The government has accepted all recommendations and through this bill is taking significant action on this matter.

It is worth noting that the legislation before us also does a number of things in terms of emergency seizure powers to enable the immediate seizure and disposal of animals where there is a large-scale animal welfare emergency. This is, once again, about that timely response that the government is aiming to achieve through this legislation. The bill also provides for sufficient powers to deal with animal fights — for example, dogfighting and cockfighting — and the use of animals for blooding and luring, such as in the greyhound industry. Amendments will be made regarding participation, the keeping of animals for use in blooding and luring, and seizure and disposal powers.

As I mentioned at the start of my contribution, we have heard a number of members express heartfelt words about the animals they have seen. It is worth noting the wonderful work that the agencies right across a number of sectors in hundreds of communities across Victoria carry out day in, day out. This is important but often thankless work. We as a Parliament and certainly as a government thank them for that work. I commend the bill to the house.