A MILLICENT woman has raised concerns following the State Government’s mandatory changes to online dog registrations.
Nicole Looby-McRostie slammed Wattle Range Council and State Government stating the changes would have a significant impact on Millicent residents, in particular the elderly and computer illiterate.
“A lot of the elderly people do not use computers and do not want to leave their bank account details online,” she said.
“As a community and Australian citizens we should have a choice, but we do not have a choice in this – the community should be considered.”
Ms Looby-McRostie said many people preferred to pay cash and that she had been approached by residents concerned about the changes.
Council economic development manager Steve Chapple said the new laws under the management board was mandatory and beyond council’s control.
“We recognise that it is going to be difficult for people so we will make sure that our libraries and council offices have iPads and people on hand to assist those who need it,” he said.
“There are very positive sides to the changes, however we do recognise there will be some difficulties and we will help people through them.”
The amendments to the Dog and Cat Management Act will start in coming months and are a State Government requirement.
Part of the program reform will introduce a dogs and cats online system which is a one-stop online service for all registration payments, microchipping and breeder information.
The state-wide registration system aims to deliver greater functionality, make dog registrations faster and easier for owners and save council money.
It is estimated the online portal will save council $93,000.
