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Puppy farming prevention questions as WA government dumps contract

ABC News

14 minutes ago

ABC News

Puppy farming prevention questions as WA government dumps contract

The West Australian government has quietly scrapped a $9.8 million contract to build a new online pet registration considered a key step in the fight against puppy farming. The Centralised Registration System (CRS) was to replace all registers managed by local governments. It was a key part of the government's reforms aimed at stopping black market dog breeding. Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley wrote to councils late last week advising that the government and tech company Seisma Pty Ltd had agreed to end their contract. "Moving forward, we will now re-engage with local governments, along with animal welfare organisations, on charting a path forward," the letter said. "As the CRS will not be delivered as originally planned, local governments will need to continue existing pet registration programs and engagement with pet owners for annual registration and renewal processes." The move has been criticised by regional councils that had been data cleaning and transcribing from independent systems in preparation for the register. The work was conducted at ratepayers' expense. WA Local Government Association (WALGA) president Karen Chappel said she hoped local governments' time and resources had not been wasted, as they had invested heavily in preparing to comply with the new program. "With it going back to the drawing board, there is an opportunity for local governments to have input and hopefully influence the new database and new system so it works well for local governments," she said. "Local governments were really concerned [if] they were going to get full cost recovery back." She said the potential for infringements to be included in the system also complicated its development. "We needed to know how that was going to work and what impact that would have on the resources of a local government and their capacity," Cr Chappel said. "WALGA does support the centralised system, but it has to be for the benefit of all and it has to be manageable." The issues came in the wake of serious problems with the new firearms registration portal, introduced as part of the Cook government's reforms to WA's gun laws. In a written statement, Ms Beazley said the cancellation was in the best interest of the state government. "After thorough consideration … the WA government and Seisma Pty Ltd have agreed to end the contract," she said. "We now have an opportunity to reflect and re-engage with local governments and the animal welfare sector on charting a path forward. "The state government is currently reviewing its options and will provide further information once it is available." Opposition Local Government spokesperson Kirrilee Warr said the minister's response was not good enough. "It's a little concerning that there was a significant amount of money that went into getting the system up," she said. "At the eleventh hour, the contract has been cancelled and there's no timeframe going forward. "[The state government needs to] give us some straight answers."