It is not the first time the WA Government has proposed increased powers for animal welfare inspectors.
In 2017 the then newly elected Labor McGowan Government proposed sweeping changes to the state's animal welfare act to bring WA in line with other states, including the creation of a new class of inspector with greater powers to enter farms, stockyards and vehicles to check for welfare compliance. The proposal to allow unfettered access to commercial premises, including family farms even if there was no suspicion of wrongdoing, was struck out after the Government accepted a parliamentary committeeThe RSPCA said while introducing a proactive inspection regime in WA was"long overdue", pairing farm trespass and animal welfare reforms would benefit farmers in the long run.
"The positive thing about this legislative proposal is certainly that it's not just [talking about] cracking down on activists," said senior policy officer Jed Goodfellow."It's also actually addressing some of the underlying concerns … that the broader community has around animal cruelty at certain facilities like knackeries and abattoirs.
"[Then] the greater [the public's] confidence will be in the industry, and in the industries [associated] with these facilities as well.