❓ Ms Davies questions the Premier about state funding for the RSPCA, given their opposition to live sheep exports. The Premier defends the RSPCA's work and criticizes the suggestion of defunding them.
AnsweredQoN 398Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LIVE EXPORT —
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
398. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and its ongoing advocacy against the live
sheep export industry.
(1) Given it is a
registered charity that receives funding from the state government, will the
government cease all funding to the organisation so no further taxpayer dollars
will be used to attack a legitimate industry —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Minister, questions are heard in silence.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
I will start again. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
(1) Given it is a
registered charity that receives funding from the state government, will the
government cease all funding to the organisation so no further taxpayer dollars
will be used to attack a legitimate industry that the Premier says his
government supports?
(2) Has the
Premier or any of his ministers met with Lynne Bradshaw to discuss the RSPCA's
attacks on an industry that he says his government supports?
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
398. Ms M.J. DAVIES to the Premier:
I refer to the Royal Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and its ongoing advocacy against the live
sheep export industry.
(1) Given it is a
registered charity that receives funding from the state government, will the
government cease all funding to the organisation so no further taxpayer dollars
will be used to attack a legitimate industry —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Ms R. Saffioti interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Minister, questions are heard in silence.
Ms M.J. DAVIES :
I will start again. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
(1) Given it is a
registered charity that receives funding from the state government, will the
government cease all funding to the organisation so no further taxpayer dollars
will be used to attack a legitimate industry that the Premier says his
government supports?
(2) Has the
Premier or any of his ministers met with Lynne Bradshaw to discuss the RSPCA's
attacks on an industry that he says his government supports?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) All things bright
and beautiful!
Dr A.D. Buti : They've
had a long campaign against the RSPCA—since 2006.
Mr R.H. COOK : Madam Speaker,
I take on board the interjection just then from Minister Buti in relation to
the work that the RSPCA does. It is one of the oldest organisations, providing
incredible work in the community to protect animals, to make sure that there
are people out there in the community who are basically watching animals, in
industry and also in domestic or pet arrangements, to ensure that those animals
are looked after, and that, to the extent they can, they stop animal cruelty. I
am dumbfounded that the member for Central Wheatbelt would actually believe
that that is something my government should do. The RSPCA does so much good
work in the community. It is working with people right throughout the community
to make sure that we uphold our humanity, and that we do the very level best we
can to care for the pets, the ponies, the —
Several members interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Dogs—all manner of animals!
The member makes reference to the RSPCA's charitable
status. That is not something over which my government has any jurisdiction, so
I will leave that aside. But I will say that the RSPCA continues to do
wonderful work in our community, upholding a value that we all hold dear, which
is the maintenance of animal welfare in our society. In this context, the RSPCA
has always rallied around the issue of live animal exports, both from a point
of view of playing a role of advocate for its ultimate phase-out—we
know this; it has been forever thus—but also working with government and industry to improve animal
welfare in that context. I referenced earlier in my remarks that we have
significantly improved the welfare of animals associated with live sheep
exports. I am sure that the RSPCA was part of that policy discussion.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : Madam Speaker —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : I take from
this question that the policy announcement from the Nationals WA and its
alliance partner the Liberal Party is that they will defund the RSPCA.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
There is still the opportunity for a supplementary here, can I just say.
Mr R.H. COOK : The last thing
I would ever have thought is that someone would get up, particularly from the
opposition, to say ''Will you defund someone who's criticising
us?'' This is one of the key tenets of democracy—that we fund
the voices in the community to make sure all those voices are heard in all
these debates. But at the end of the day,
the RSPCA is about protecting puppies. It is about protecting all manner of
animals, all creatures great and
small, to make sure that we see the very values that we believe uphold our
humanity—that is, that acts of cruelty are not perpetrated—right
throughout our community. Quite frankly, I am appalled by the question.
and beautiful!
Dr A.D. Buti : They've
had a long campaign against the RSPCA—since 2006.
Mr R.H. COOK : Madam Speaker,
I take on board the interjection just then from Minister Buti in relation to
the work that the RSPCA does. It is one of the oldest organisations, providing
incredible work in the community to protect animals, to make sure that there
are people out there in the community who are basically watching animals, in
industry and also in domestic or pet arrangements, to ensure that those animals
are looked after, and that, to the extent they can, they stop animal cruelty. I
am dumbfounded that the member for Central Wheatbelt would actually believe
that that is something my government should do. The RSPCA does so much good
work in the community. It is working with people right throughout the community
to make sure that we uphold our humanity, and that we do the very level best we
can to care for the pets, the ponies, the —
Several members interjected.
Mr R.H. COOK : Dogs—all manner of animals!
The member makes reference to the RSPCA's charitable
status. That is not something over which my government has any jurisdiction, so
I will leave that aside. But I will say that the RSPCA continues to do
wonderful work in our community, upholding a value that we all hold dear, which
is the maintenance of animal welfare in our society. In this context, the RSPCA
has always rallied around the issue of live animal exports, both from a point
of view of playing a role of advocate for its ultimate phase-out—we
know this; it has been forever thus—but also working with government and industry to improve animal
welfare in that context. I referenced earlier in my remarks that we have
significantly improved the welfare of animals associated with live sheep
exports. I am sure that the RSPCA was part of that policy discussion.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : Madam Speaker —
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
Mr R.H. COOK : I take from
this question that the policy announcement from the Nationals WA and its
alliance partner the Liberal Party is that they will defund the RSPCA.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Order, please!
There is still the opportunity for a supplementary here, can I just say.
Mr R.H. COOK : The last thing
I would ever have thought is that someone would get up, particularly from the
opposition, to say ''Will you defund someone who's criticising
us?'' This is one of the key tenets of democracy—that we fund
the voices in the community to make sure all those voices are heard in all
these debates. But at the end of the day,
the RSPCA is about protecting puppies. It is about protecting all manner of
animals, all creatures great and
small, to make sure that we see the very values that we believe uphold our
humanity—that is, that acts of cruelty are not perpetrated—right
throughout our community. Quite frankly, I am appalled by the question.
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