Today in Victoria: Puppy farms, CFA challenge halted, no more Sideshow Bob

Puppy farms find defender in Darren Chester, legal challenge to new CFA laws delayed, Day no longer Sideshow Bob.

Sonny Millier, 3, and his sister Isla, 5, with Cavoodle puppies at Banksia Park Puppies. Picture: David Geraghty.

The Australian revealed back in May some of the problems behind the Andrews Government’s proposed dog breeding laws.

And it seems this week that organised opposition to its approach is growing.

The so-called puppy farm issue thrust itself onto the political agenda during the November 2014 election campaign. Raids on large dog breeders found to have broken the law, the viral-like spread of images of the cruelty on social media, and the need for government to get on the “right” side of the issue with polling day approaching spawned the current legislation.

The main thrust of the reforms is to prevent anyone from keeping more than 10 breeding dogs, supposedly to take the profit motive out of it.

But the problem with the approach, according to critics (including reputable large scale dog breeders such as Banksia Park Puppies), is it conflates size with cruelty.

While there have been large operations with appalling practices, the same is true of small “backyard” breeders. The trouble is the demand for dogs — particularly the popular poodle crosses — won’t go away. And with finite resources for enforcement a more fragmented industry comprised of small outfits will surely prove harder to police.

Such is the momentum of the social-media driven animal rights campaign in favour of the laws that politicians have been wary of speaking out against the proposals for fear of being cast simplistically as supporters of “cruel” capitalist puppy factories.

But federal frontbencher and Gippsland MP Darren Chester, who counts Banksia Park Puppies operators Matt Hams and his family as constituents, has been prepared to stick his head above the parapet.

“I visited the facility earlier this year and was impressed by the way adult dogs and puppies were cared for by attentive staff. It’s a significant local business, in some instances offering employment to staff with special needs and teenagers seeking casual employment,’’ he wrote on his Facebook page.

“Under the proposed changes, the business will probably leave Gippsland and set up in NSW which has different laws.

“If people are treating animals cruelly and unlawfully, they deserve punishment. No excuses. Throw the book at them, shut down their business!

“But if people are providing a high quality, professional breeding service which supplies a much-loved and healthy family pet to thousands of grateful people every year, why would we introduce laws to make them unviable?”

Heidi Millier with son Sonny, 3 and Isla 5 and Cavoodle puppies at Banksia Park Puppies. Picture: David Geraghty.

Volunteers suspend court action to test new CFA laws

The legal challenge from volunteers to stop the Country Fire Authority accepting the union-friendly enterprise agreement being pushed by the Andrews Government has been halted this morning.

The case brought by Volunteer Fire Brigades Victoria before the Supreme Court was discontinued with the VFBV citing the passage of the Turnbull government’s changes to the Fair Work Act as the reason.

In other words, the VFBV will try to use the federal law to have the proposed agreement vetoed on the grounds it compromises the rights of volunteers rather than slugging it out in the costly environment of the court.

The government will be pleased by the discontinuation of the action as it will stop, for now anyway, the scheduled appearance of dissident former emergency services minister Jane Garrett, who was forced out over her opposition to the deal, appearing in the case.

Day goes from Sideshow Bob to centre stage

Bob Day. Picture: AAP.

It has taken some time for the collapse of Bob Day’s building empire, first foreshadowed in The Australian, to take on a political dimension. The focus initially has been on his conduct while in control of the business, Home Australia, and on the unfortunately plight of the 200 homeowners with part built houses.

But there was always underlying political element to the story as a personal bankruptcy would render the Senator unable to continue in parliament. Despite the parlous state of the group’s finances, and the personal guarantees issued by Mr Day to try to prop up the sinking ship, any bankruptcy proceeding is still likely to be some months away.

But the Senator jumped the gun on all of that by announcing last week he would resign from the Senate and the focus immediately shifted to the impact on the looming legislation to establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission. Senator Day is a certain vote for the government’s bill, while the position of the replacement senator that Family First chooses is less clear. As a result, the government might be tempted to forge ahead and hope, or request, that Mr Day delays his resignation until after the vote.

Judging from the ALP’s reaction this morning that is exactly what they suspect will happen given Mr Day has announced his resignation but is yet to send the letter to the Senate president that would immediately make it effective.

Labor is already urging the government not to accept the “tainted” vote of a soon to be “bankrupt” Senator, while the Coalition has brought up the ALP’s acceptance of independent MP Craig Thomson’s support as he fended off corruption claims during the Gillard years.