Rachel spoke on the Domestic Animals Amendment (Rehoming Cats and Dogs and Other Matters) Bill 2025. She discussed the importance of pet homing regulation to improve consistency in animal care. Rachel also noted the need to support smaller animal rescue and rehoming organisations, and government transparency in communication with both the sector and wider community.
Donate to Rachel’s RSPCA fundraiser to sponsor cat desexing
Thursday the 16th of October 2025,
Victorian Legislative Council
Rachel Payne (South-Eastern Metropolitan):
I rise to speak on the Domestic Animals Amendment (Rehoming Cats and Dogs and Other Matters) Bill 2025 on behalf of Legalise Cannabis Victoria. I have a little bit of history with rehoming animals as someone who grew up in a dog show family. We had Pekingese and French bulldogs, so one of my superpowers is I can actually see any breed of dog, whether it be a mixed-breed or a purebred dog, and know exactly what breed that is and what category it would be shown under, as someone who grew up in that environment.
Harriet Shing interjected.
Rachel Payne:
I think it is a bit of a superpower, Minister, yes. It is one of those things that I do have a lot of fun with, playing with friends. Rehoming pets was something that I experienced growing up a lot, growing up in a family where there were a lot of animals around, making sure that there was rehoming available and making sure that the right people were also offering those homes and that there was that duty of care provided.
Referring back to the bill, it implements recommendations 7 to 11 of the 2021 Taskforce on Rehoming Pets final report. This taskforce investigated how to improve pet welfare by addressing pet rehoming pathways and survival rates. It found there was strong cross-sector support for the regulation of pet homing to improve consistency in animal care and increase opportunities for collaboration with councils, shelters and pounds. The bill responds to these findings by introducing a regulatory framework for the pet rehoming sector and a benefits-based voluntary registration scheme. The proposal in this bill of a voluntary scheme reflects concerns raised during consultation by the taskforce. There were concerns raised by stakeholders that regulation could impose an administrative and resource burden on rehoming groups, reducing their ability to care for animals and straining resources, particularly for smaller volunteer-run organisations. This scheme will replace the existing foster scheme, which has suffered from low uptake since its introduction as part of the puppy farm and pet shop reforms of 2017.
For registration under the new voluntary scheme, pet rehoming organisations will need to meet certain requirements, including registration as a charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission and reapplication every three years. Additional requirements for authorisation will be developed in a regulatory framework. This will include reporting on the location of animals and may include reporting of animal fate data and requirements of pre-adoption, including desexing and vaccination. The benefits of authorisation will include being able to hold pet adoption days without the need for an animal sale permit and an exemption from registration of foster animals with local councils. Importantly, this bill also clarifies powers for entry of authorised officers, ensuring that adoption days where animal welfare is at risk can be shut down if needed.
While the minister has cited extensive consultations with the pet rehoming sector over the last four years, there still seems to be uncertainty and confusion from the sector about what this bill intends to do. Smaller organisations who do not have the resources to acquire and maintain authorisation under this scheme have raised similar concerns to those identified in the 2021 taskforce report. They want to make sure that it is truly voluntary and that they will not be punished for not having the resources to join the scheme. The changes in this bill are intended to support and not punish the sector, but it is disappointing that the government consultation appears to have stopped after the bill was developed. There is a clear need for greater transparency and communication.
An authorisation scheme for the sector is long overdue, and it makes sense that organisations that go to the effort of getting registered receive additional benefits. At the same time we need to support smaller organisations in the pet rehoming sector to ensure that they are not put at a major disadvantage because of these reforms. A good place to start with this is making sure the sector is informed of these changes and what the consequences will or will not be for them.
Business interrupted pursuant to standing orders.
Rachel Payne:
This is our second attempt at introducing this kind of scheme for the pet rehoming sector in the last few years. We need to make sure it is done right so we do not end up back here in a few years introducing another replacement scheme because this one also suffered from low uptake.
Before concluding on the issue of pet rehoming and desexing requirements that may be included under the scheme, I am running a cat desexing appeal in collaboration with the RSPCA peninsula pet safety program. Anyone interested in donating can head to my social media for details. This program does amazing work to regenerate, rehome and desex cats. As the warmer months approach, so does kitten season. My two girls Minnie and Chiquitita – yes, after the ABBA song, but we do call her Cheeky – were first fostered by us when Minnie was just eight months old with four kittens. Thankfully we were able to give the kittens and the mother cat a loving home. I managed to rehome three of those kittens – Chiquitita has stayed with me. As for Minnie, the mother cat, it was my honour to give her a home. Cat desexing is essential to prevent unwanted litters. The RSPCA receives enormous amounts of surrendered or abandoned litters each year. Funds raised by the peninsula pet safety program mean that those cat owners who are feeling the cost-of-living pressures can access cat desexing free of charge. If you can even spare a small amount, your contribution will go a long way to helping this program, reducing the strain on the pet rehoming sector.
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