Summary Offences (Dog Theft) Amendment Bill – Second Reading Speech
Thursday 1 December 2022
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (16:53): I rise to speak in support of the Summary Offences (Dog Theft) Amendment Bill. This bill may be short, but it is important to the thousands of families who own a dog in South Australia and the 315,550 dogs, including our family dog, Freya, who are registered in South Australia as at 30 June 2022. This number includes 13,390 working dogs, 1,125 racing greyhounds and 314 assistance dogs, including Australian Lions Hearing and Medical Alert dogs, guide dogs, PTSD dogs for veterans, autism therapy dogs, and dogs for health and education facilities all through See Differently, formerly the Royal Society for the Blind.
It does not matter whether the dog is a working dog, assistance dog, racing dog or family pet. They are all loved by their owners and an important part of their family. I would be devastated if Freya was stolen and so would my community. This is why I am pleased to be speaking on this bill which delivers on the Labor government's election commitment to increase penalties to deter dog theft, recognising how important dogs are to their human families and the threat of dog-napping in South Australia.
The bill amends the Summary Offences Act 1953 to insert a new summary offence of dog theft in section 47A. This is important as a dog is not like a piece of furniture or a car. They are a living being that is sadly vulnerable to theft. The offence has a maximum penalty of $50,000 or imprisonment for two years. It is intended that the steep maximum penalty for the new offence will have a strong deterrent effect on potential offenders and keep Freya and her canine friends safe.
Freya is not just a beloved family pet. She is an official park sniffer at Oaklands parkrun and children across Gibson are currently colouring in pictures of her as part of my Christmas colouring competition to win passes to the State Aquatic and Leisure Centre. She might not yet be as famous as Dusty, but she is just as loved.
The theft of a dog can currently be dealt with under the general theft offence in section 134 of the Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935, and this bill does not take away that option from South Australia Police if they believe that is the more appropriate offence based on factual circumstances, the strength of the available evidence and the appropriate sentence. The new offence is similar to approaches adopted in New South Wales and the Northern Territory which both provide for a separate summary offence for stealing a dog.
I understand that the cost of dogs—purebred and designer breeds, in particular—has risen considerably due to increased demand and a reduction in supply over the course of the pandemic. Sadly, this has created the opening for offenders to opportunistically take advantage of these circumstances and make improper financial gains from stealing and selling dogs.
We saw earlier this year how owners of seven pit bull puppies were devastated when they were brazenly stolen at Christies Beach. Sweet Pea, a six-year-old labrador, was stolen in a carjacking in the city in September. Simba, a Staffordshire bull terrier labrador cross, was stolen from Chinatown in 2020.
In 2019, the chihuahua companion of a Big Issue vendor was stolen in Rundle Mall. These are just four examples of the dog thefts that happen across South Australia each year, leaving families without their paw friend. I remind all South Australians to ensure that their dogs are microchipped so that they can be quickly returned to them if they are stolen or escape.
The 2021-22 annual report of the Dog and Cat Management Board shows that only 93.2 per cent of dogs at home belonging to an owner were microchipped and, further, only 70.4 per cent of these dogs were desexed. I urge dog owners to desex their family pet and ensure that their dogs are secured in their home or a fenced backyard and, as summer is finally here, never leave them in a car. Freya and all of her paw friends commend this bill to the house.
