Circulars

What’s new or changing

• The NSW Companion Animals Register (Register) was temporarily shut down on 19 June 2020 to allow urgent maintenance and upgrading work to accommodate the introduction of annual permits for non-desexed cats and dangerous and restricted dogs from 1 July 2020. These works included necessary security upgrades to protect the system and the data it holds.
• The first release of functionality on the Register was made available to all users from 3 August 2020. The first-stage release prioritised functions that would enable councils to resume their usual day-to-day companion animals management practices and work through their data entry backlog.
• The Survey of Seizures of Cats and Dogs (Survey) functionality is currently unavailable to councils. This functionality will be released as soon as possible over the coming weeks.
• To ensure councils have adequate time to accurately record and submit their 2019-20 Surveys, councils have been provided with a temporary extension to 13 November 2020 to submit their Surveys in the Register, in accordance with section 67A of the Companion Animals Act 1998.
• The Calendar of Compliance and Reporting Requirements 2020-21 has been updated to reflect this change.

What this will mean for your council

• Councils who have contracted out the completion or partial completion of the Survey to an animal holding facility service should ensure the contractor is aware of the changes.
• Councils are encouraged to ensure the required data in relation to the seizures of cats and dogs for the 2019-20 financial year is collated and prepared in readiness for the release of the Survey functionality in the Register.
• Councils can download the updated Calendar of Compliance and Reporting Requirements 2020-21 from the Office of Local Government website.

Key points

• Some councils contract out or share their animal holding facility services. Where a contractor provides the animal holding facility, councils should ensure that they can access or receive adequate information from the contractor to complete the appropriate sections of the Survey.
• Alternative arrangements may be made by a council for the contractor to partially or wholly complete the Survey.
• A council may also delegate authority to complete its Survey to another council where services are shared or contracted.
• Whichever alternative is used, and whether or not council shares or contracts out animal care services, the responsibility for submitting the completed Survey in the Register by the due date rests with each council.

Where to go for further information

• Information regarding the Register can be found on the Office of Local Government website at www.olg.nsw.gov.au/councils/responsible-pet-ownership/nsw-pet-registry/the-cat-and-dog-register/
• For any further information in relation to the Register, please contact the Program Delivery Team on 02 4428 4100 or by email at pets@olg.nsw.gov.au
• For any further information in relation to the Survey, please contact the Performance Team on 02 4428 4100 or by email at olg@olg.nsw.gov.au

Tim Hurst
Deputy Secretary, Local Government, Planning and Policy