AREA Liberal candidates standing at the upcoming state election have pledged $60,000 for fenced off dog parks in Buninyong and Alfredton.<\/p>\n
If successful in November the plan would see money provided to the City of Ballarat to undertake the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe that this is going to be a really positive move for our community and not only provide a safe space for our dogs to exercise off leash but also a great opportunity for the owners to socialize as well,\u201d Liberal candidate for Wendouree, Amy Johnson said.<\/p>\n
With about 21,000 registered pets in the municipality, many of which are dogs, Ms Amy Johnson said there was a need for a fenced off facilities in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese [fenced off dog parks] provide an environment where dog owners can exercise their pets off leash knowing that they potentially won\u2019t be able to get away and run out onto busy roads,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Should the proposed parks get up it would mean three such facilities in the Ballarat region, with existing fenced off area on Dowling Street.<\/p>\n
The election promise comes after a significant community push for more such parks in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community has been hounding me for this, out at Buninyong particularly,\u201d Liberal candidate for Buninyong Andrew Kilmartin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been door knocking a lot here and many families are just looking for a safe space where they can take their dog for a walk, with fences and stuff, where they can let it off the leash and let it run around.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lots of people who have been crying out for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The locations of the proposed fenced off dog parks are yet to be determined.<\/p>\n
Both Mr Kilmartin and Ms Johnson said the final locations would be decided by the local council after discussions with residents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll be working with the community to essentially say, \u2018where to you guys want it\u2019,\u201d Mr Kilmartin said.<\/p>\n
Labor candidate for Buninyong, Michaela Settle, wouldn\u2019t comment on the proposed dog parks directly but did say she supported improvements in animal welfare.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be making lots of announcements over the next few months on a variety of things,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously I think that dogs are a really important part of our families, and health and wellbeing. The Labor government has done an enormous amount of work in animal welfare and we\u2019ll continue to do so.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I can guarantee is that we won\u2019t be reversing the puppy farm legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AREA Liberal candidates standing at the upcoming state election have pledged $60,000 for fenced off dog parks in Buninyong and Alfredton. If successful in November the plan would see money provided to the City of Ballarat to undertake the work. \u201cWe believe that this is going to be a really positive move for our community […]<\/p>\n