Dangerous Dogs: Less Talk, More Action
Published 14 April 2023
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery welcomed Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement that the government will review dangerous dogs laws, but said it shouldn’t have taken this long.
Moreton Bay Council has been calling for action since 2019, after passing a resolution at the Local Government Association of Queensland’s annual conference for a review of the Animal Management Act and also Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) processes.
“While I’m pleased this issue is now getting urgent priority from the State Government, it’s devastating to think that it’s taken these kinds of horrific attacks to put this important issue back on the agenda,” Mayor Flannery said.
“Our position for the past four years has been clear, Councils need strengthened powers to investigate and manage serious dog attacks, as well as review the QCAT appeals process.
“I’m a dog owner and a dog lover but when a dog is involved in a vicious, unprovoked attack and there is clear evidence of the incident the dog should be seized or surrendered immediately to protect the community.
“We need to be black and white about this, we’ve been warning the Government about this issue for years and to see three kids attacked in three separate incidents in just one week is horrific.
“Those families will be living with the emotional and physical scars of those attacks for the rest of their lives, it’s not right and it’s not fair.
“Moreton Bay learned this lesson the hard way in 2016, when we lost our QCAT case after multiple appeals which was a hard pill to swallow.
“I don’t know that legislative changes would have prevented the three most recent attacks this week, but I know it could give victims more certainty and improve the capacity of local governments to manage and prosecute these matters.
“The fact is that in really bad cases dangerous dogs are like a ticking time bomb, they definitely don’t belong in suburban environments.
“So I hope that the State Government will take swift and decisive action against dangerous dogs in the interests of public safety.”