October 1, 2013
The South Burnett Regional Council has about three weeks to decide if it will axe cat registrations.
The State Government announced last month it would repeal Queensland’s mandatory cat registration law.
The new Agriculture and Forestry Legislation Amendment Bill 2013 received received Royal Assent on Monday, September 23.
Queensland councils now have 28 days from September 23 to decide whether to continue cat registrations or not.
SBRC Mayor Wayne Kratzmann said the Council had spent “a lot of money” setting up the cat registration system when the former State Government made cat registration compulsory in July 2009.
The system now generates about $30,000 a year in registration fees for the Council but nearly all of it is used in enforcement expenses.
The Mayor said while he was unsure what the views of other councillors were, his own view was that cat registrations in the region should come to an end to reduce costs and paperwork for cat owners.
“The question I ask myself is “Would we have introduced a cat registration system if it wasn’t compulsory?” And the answer is no,” he said.
At present the Council charges between $27 and $142 per year to register a cat in town areas, and between $9 and $22 per year in non-town areas, depending on whether the cat is desexed and/or microchipped.
All cats over the age age of three months must be registered, and failure to do so can attract a $220 on-the-spot fine.
The changes would not affect the state-wide requirement for microchipping of cats; and the Council would still be able to re-introduce cat registrations at a future time by introducing a new local law if it felt it was necessary to do so.
The matter is expected to be put to Council’s monthly meeting on October 16 for determination.
NB. Council issued animal registration renewal notices to cat and dog owners on September 25.
- Related article: Cat Registrations To End?
