Council has adopted the Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2021-2025, which provides the strategic framework to deliver policy direction for animal management in Monash.

All councils are required to prepare a DAMP every four years. The finalised plan had input from the community over two consultation periods. In May 2021 a community survey sought feedback on a range of issues, including access to open spaces, animal registration and nuisance cats with 177 residents providing feedback and 186 responses submitted.

The survey feedback included:

• Education to be provided in a number of languages with this to be provided in hard copy and online
• Requests for fenced ‘off leash’ areas including those to separate smaller and larger dogs
• Education around dog poo (enforcement and more dog poo bags)
• Encouraging animal adoption
• Nuisance animals – both dogs barking and cats trespassing.

Further consultation on the draft plan occurred in September 2021 and Council also wrote to animal stakeholders including environmental ‘friends’ groups, local veterinarians, Domestic Animal Businesses, the RSPCA and sports clubs. A total of 36 submissions were received.

The feedback on the draft plan confirmed there is on-going community support for dedicated exercise areas/dog parks but also increasing pressure on preventing dogs access to some open spaces, particularly where organised sport is played and where ground improvements have been made, including the introduction of synthetic playing surfaces.

The plan includes a periodic review of off and on-leash areas. These will commence in 2022 and will include further consultation.

Each Victorian council is required to prepare a Domestic Animal Management Plan every 4 years.

Domestic Animal Management Plans focus on cats and dogs specifically and outline the key issues, objectives and priorities for how these will be managed.

Council is required to adopt a new plan by November 2021 and we sought community feedback to inform a draft plan that was presented to Council.