Tuesday, 22 September 2026

 Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (23:34): (2819) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Agriculture, and the action that I seek is an annual funding commitment for Lort Smith Animal Hospital which will allow them to expand two critically important services helping keep Victorians and their pets together. The first is a vital service offering urgent veterinary care for Victorians experiencing financial hardship. This program is currently possible through a subsidy pool that is supported largely by benefactors, but at the same time as demand is exploding, funding is starting to dry up. I have spoken in this place at length about the cost of vet care and how it is becoming increasingly inaccessible and unaffordable. Owners are delaying treatment while they scramble for money, or worse, they are surrendering an animal out of desperation. In dire cases, it is leading to animals being unnecessarily euthanised. Lort Smith’s important program helps to address this crisis, but they are currently being forced to ration free vet care and often find themselves in the heartbreaking position of being forced to reject applicants who are in urgent need. The call for recurrent funding would allow Lort Smith to strengthen its existing relief model, which covers the cost of urgent veterinary treatment for hundreds of pets in our state each year. This proposal is practical cost-of-living relief that would offer meaningful change for Victorian pet owners. And because this model already exists with clinicians, facilities and triage systems in place, primarily through existing vet services at North Melbourne, government would not need to build new infrastructure or a new approval process.

The second service relates to an issue I have spoken about at length in this place: the link between pets and family violence, and how one of the leading reasons victim-survivors do not leave a violent home is because they do not want to leave their companion animal behind. Lort Smith offers an emergency boarding program to ensure safe pet care for Victorians experiencing crisis. They are seeking funding to expand into a more coordinated response network for people whose animals need short-term care during periods of hardship. The current program already provides emergency placements through Lort Smith’s adoption facility and trusted foster care families while a person seeks safety, treatment, housing or other crisis support. An expansion will be a lifeline for animals, but for people too. These programs are not just about animal welfare. Whether it be through vet care or emergency boarding, keeping pets and families together protects a profound emotional bond. It reduces stress, combats loneliness, improves physical and mental health, eases shelter strain and supports healing through major life changes. These two initiatives provide immeasurable benefits to our community. I would all but guarantee that funding these programs saves money in so many other ways, and I am hopeful that the minister will commit to funding them.