Thursday, 15 May 2025

 Chris CREWTHER (Mornington) (01:50): (1147) My adjournment matter at 1:50 am is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action that I seek is that the minister commit to better supporting the RSPCA with more powers and resources to do their job properly. The RSPCA is an integral part of this nation’s and Victoria’s animal support network, with RSPCA Victoria playing such an important role in protecting and caring for animals through its animal care centres, vet clinics, programs and advocacy. Recently the demand on their services has been escalating. Between 2017–18 and 2021–22 the number of animals seized by or surrendered to the inspectorate more than doubled from 1035 to 2172. This trend is expected to continue, with projections estimating over 3340 animals will require care by 2027. Compounding these challenges are increased operational costs, a decline in donations and a significant reduction in volunteer numbers.

RSPCA is currently forecasting a nearly 25 per cent increase in animal cruelty reports this financial year, with a small team of 28 officers across Victoria now dealing with over 10,000 complaints of animal cruelty a year. Following serious alleged animal neglect issues reported to my office in Mount Eliza as well as in nearby locations such as Devon Meadows and elsewhere, I recently met with RSPCA representatives, who reported to me that the state Labor government’s ongoing annual payment to them is only about $2.5 million a year, well under the $10 million a year that they need. This means that they are operating at a deficit of over $7 million a year, which has eaten into their backup savings. They are desperate for the state Labor government funding to increase in this year’s budget next week. Otherwise, they report that from August they may need to narrow their services to the 21 worst LGAs for animal cruelty, which would exclude the Mornington Peninsula shire, and no longer do horse enforcement matters, which take up significant resources.

After this major issue in Mount Eliza, they also pointed out that this would actually impact quite a number of horses across the state. They also noted that if they are forced to give up areas of enforcement due to lack of resources, then it will cost the state government much more to do it without them. They estimate the cost to be $270 million a year to do what the RSPCA does for $10 million a year. This is because they already have the existing infrastructure, systems and know-how. They also mentioned that seizure and other powers under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 are insufficient for their officers. I hope that the state Labor government does the right thing and provides RSPCA Victoria with the funding and resources they desperately need in this upcoming budget.