An application was lodged on Tuesday 14 April to Mount Alexander Shire Council (MASC), for the establishment of a ‘Domestic dog breeding centre and rural worker’s accommodation’ in Elphinstone.

The MASC’s online Public Planning Register shows that a determination was made relating to the matter on Wednesday 3 June and the decision shows as: ‘Withdrawn’. No other public documents relating to the application are currently available on the site.

It comes after ‘Bendigo Animal Welfare & Community Services’ posted on social media about the application on Sunday 31 May, providing details about how to submit a formal objection. The post was widely shared and Member for Northern Victoria, Georgie Purcell MP of the Animal Justice Party, advocated on the issue before making an announcement that the application had been withdrawn. She had called (in Parliament) for the Minister for Agriculture to reject the application, saying that many Victorians had believed puppy farms had been outlawed.

Indeed, in December 2017 The Domestic Animals Amendment (Puppy Farms and Pet Shops) Act 2017 (Vic) passed the Victorian Parliament amidst language of “ending puppy farming once and for all” but Ms Purcell says there are still too many loopholes that should be closed with stronger laws.

Concerns remain that the applicant in this case may simply seek another location for its puppy farm, but for now, the case shows how social media can impact advocacy.

This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 12 June 2026.