The Hon. Kirrilee Warr, Shadow Minister for Local Government (WA), Media Release, 4 June 2025
Shadow Minister for Local Government, Kirrilee Warr MLA, has labelled the implementation of the Cook Labor Government’s Stop Puppy Farming laws a “dog’s breakfast” after the Government abandoned a $9.8 million contract just days after the new laws had taken effect.
“Last week’s announcement from the Local Government Minister that the State Government would not be moving forward on the PetsWA centralised registration system,” Ms Warr said.
“Local Governments have been waiting for several years this promised support, which would not only have made it easier for families and pets to move between local government areas, but which was also a centrepiece of Labor’s Stop Puppy Farming laws.
“As recently as November, the Minister was claiming the system was on track for delivery by mid- 2025, however, now we find it has been abandoned entirely.”
Ms Warr also questioned why the Minister had taken so long to provide an update on the contract, and how much taxpayer money had been wasted in the process.
“The Minister’s failure to provide a briefing on the new laws prior to their implementation on 26 May is yet another example of the Labor Government’s poor planning,” Ms Warr said.
Ms Warr said it was also concerning the State Government did not appear to have a plan to move forward with a centralised registration system in the future.
“Despite the Stop Puppy Farming laws passing Parliament four years ago, the contract for the PetsWA registration system was only awarded last August, before being quietly cancelled by the Minister at the eleventh hour.
“When I questioned the Minister about the future of this system, they were unable to say when or if this system would still be delivered.
“This is a recurring issue with the Cook Labor Government – they’ve been unable to deliver working registration portals for firearms owners and nurses, and now this online database for pets has also failed to materialise.”
Ms Warr said a further $1.2 million allocated towards supporting pet stores to transition to adoption centres had also seen little take up, with only $100,000 accessed by a single pet store.
“There were around a dozen pet stores operating in 2021, yet the vast majority of these have closed in recent years, with only one successfully transitioning to an adoption centre.
“This has resulted in some people now turning to unregulated online sales or interstate sales to purchase a family pet.
“Rather than stopping puppy farming, it seems Labor has simply pushed it out of pet stores and the public eye and onto the internet, which poses potential risks for animal welfare.”
