Thursday, 20 February 2025

Animal shelters

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (17:42): (1437) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action that I seek is for the minister to implement a trap, neuter, return (TNR) trial for stray cats here in Victoria. The minister recently released the cat management strategy for the next decade. I applaud the minister for her informed and compassionate approach to cat management. It is very clear that she loves her cats. It was refreshing to read that the government will be focusing on promoting and supporting responsible cat ownership. I would like to propose to the minister that a TNR trial be conducted here in Victoria alongside the strategy. In fact many of the community cat populations that a TNR trial would help and benefit are in the minister’s very own electorate. This would fulfil one of the aims of the cat management strategy of population control.

TNR programs present an alternative to the cruelty of killing. It works by capturing groups of unowned or semi-owned cats, which are those that are partly cared for by the community, desexing them and returning them to their original location. Suitable cats or kittens can also be identified through this process to be adopted or rehomed. This prevents any further breeding, which is critical. It reduces shelter intake and leads to more manageable populations. The government’s 2021 report from the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets revealed that there was strong support for implementing TNR cat programs here in Victoria.

We have killing programs for every unwanted species in Victoria, but the problems continue to persist. The last analysed data in 2016 showed that 48 per cent of cats taken in by councils were euthanised, with most councils euthanising between 67 to 98 per cent of cats. Killing often leads to population booms and does nothing at all to address the long-term population trend of the species, as removing cats from the area allows for new cats to move in and breed, and the process starts all over again. For this reason, killing does nothing to protect native bird species as they claim. It is time to look at sustainable and long-term solutions that actually work. TNR programs offer exactly that, and they are already being used in New South Wales and Queensland, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Italy. The Australian Pet Welfare Foundation in Queensland has had great success. As of April 2024 they had desexed over 2000 cats in Ipswich and achieved a 30 per cent reduction in cat intake and 50 per cent less euthanasia of cats. With a new management strategy it is now the perfect opportunity to trial at TNR program here in Victoria with ongoing data collection and dedicated management of the cats treated. I would love to work with the minister together on this and establish a trial here in Victoria.