Dogs - A Matter Of Urgency?

As the Parliamentary year draws to a close, the House has gone into its usual flurry of year-end Urgency – in which Parliament sits longer than usual in an attempt to debate Bills considered urgent for the nation before the Christmas recess.

Often, however, Urgency is used as by the Government to rush through unpopular legislation without giving other Parties ample time to analyse and properly discuss it.

One piece of legislation debated this time round was a Bill that will allow territorial authorities to demand that dangerous dog breeds are neutered. Unlike dangerous dog breeds, this Bill will have no teeth; like the micro-chipping law, it will do little or nothing to solve the problem of dangerous dogs attacking people.

The fact is that owners, not dogs, must take responsibility for these attacks.

Dangerous dog breeds are often bred specifically for fighting, and the Government is mistaken if it thinks that these dog owners – who have likely already ignored the micro-chipping law – will suddenly rush to neuter their dogs. It is hard to see how such a Bill – which will simply penalise the law-abiding and responsible owners – is a matter of national urgency and must be rammed through when the time could be taken up debating a law that would make a real difference to New Zealanders.

Once again it was only ACT standing up to oppose this Bill, defending citizens’ rights over a busier and busier busybody State.