Dear Readers, once more (for the benefit of new readers) I show a picture of a cat that was being eaten by other starving cats at a place called Camp Kitty. In my last update Carmen made a post regarding efforts she had made to make via the Minister responsible for the DPI to respond to criticisms concerning their administration of the RSPCA NSW. This is her post.

`Hi Keith,
I am not sure if others did as you requested, (think in your September update), to send emails to Department Of Primary Industries. I did a while back and they cannot help because while the Department Of Primary Industries( DPI) administers the Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act 1979 (POCTA) the act is enforced by the independent, approved charitable organasations such as NSW RSPCA, Animal Welfare League, even the NSW Police. So, generally, if the matter has been investigated by an enforcement organisation, which it has, DPI said, it is more efficient and affective for that organisation to continue to manage any further related investigations or proceedings. DPI also said they intend to introduce new legislation in 2021, plus they mentioned because the RSPCA NSW is a charitable organisation operating under its own constitution and governance structure and is independent of government, its enforcement activities are carried out in accordance with a memorandum of understanding with the NSW DPI, and they are required to report to the Minister annually on its enforcement activities. Because the RSPCA is a registered charity and a public company limited by guarantee , the RSPCA in NSW is accountable for its fund through annual reporting requirements, which pretty sure should be published on their website. Pity no other feed back from people, as going through some comments about 2 or 3 months ago a couple people very keen to send emails, but nothing has come out of it.
Carmen.’

I make the following comments. Firstly, thank you so much Carmen for your efforts to hold the Dept of Primary Industries to account. The DPI is a government body paid for by the taxpayers, and should be accountable to the taxpayers. The taxpayers give the RSPCA NSW a considerable grant each year, and the DPI should be able and willing to tell taxpayers what that sum is, and NOT rely on RSPCA NSW to do so on their website!

Also the DPI is the Administrator of POCTA. It should administer the activities of the Enforcers and make sure those Enforcers are actually enforcing the Act. The RSPCA NSW is NOT enforcing POCTA as regular readers of this petition are well aware. The DPI has the statutory power to appoint and rescind the agencies that act as enforcers. In reality the enforcers seem to treat the enforcement of POCTA as a bit of a private club, if one enforcer has been approached to investigate cruelty situations the other enforcers will not intervene. I found that out when the RSPCA NSW would take no action with the cruelty taking place at Camp Kitty. I emailed the Animal Welfare League and they told me that another agency was dealing with it and would not intervene, and the Police told me that the RSPCA NSW had told them that there were no welfare issues and why should they disbelieve them?

Carmen has managed to get the DPI to admit that the RSPCA NSW is a public company, something up to now that seemed reluctant to admit (or maybe they did not know!).

In my 6 Sept 20 update the following questions were asked of the Hon Minister Adam Marshal

As the Minister responsible for the administration of DPI that in turn that administers POCTA I asked readers to try and get answers to the following-

(a) `As the de facto Administrator of POCTA are you concerned with indifference and inaction to breaches of POCTA that the RSPCA NSW has allowed to take place at Camp Kitty? Specifically the situation that existed when there were up to 200 cats living in squalor at Camp Kitty; when photos were provided to show that squalor both by email to the RSPCA NSW and also to a Senior Inspector who was given those photos in person!

(b) Also, can you get the RSPCA to investigate and report on what happened to the cats that disappeared after the full squalor of Camp Kitty was shown on a TV News report, and the RSPCA NSW raided the property. Also why, when the RSPCA NSW eventually took the owner of Camp Kitty to Court and he was convicted of 26 counts of animal cruelty, has the RSPCA NSW still maintained a silence regarding what happened to those cats?

(c) Are you concerned that although the RSPCA NSW receives thousands of dollars a year of taxpayer money that the RSPCA NSW remains unanswerable about the situation that has existed and still exists at Camp Kitty? Do you think that they should be answerable to you as the de facto Administer of POCTA, and if so will you make them answerable and release the findings to the general public?

A lot of questions still unanswered. Increased publicity may make them answer.

So readers please ask questions!!

Contact details for the Responsible Minister are as follows - Google Adam John Marshall MP and click on link under Ministerial Office., copy and paste on that site some of the questions I have asked above, and ask for a response.

Thanks, Keith