What Clover Moore said recently

Sebel Hotel, Pier One, Walsh Bay

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Thank you, Katrina Warren, MC and good morning to everyone. I would like firstly to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, the traditional custodians of this land.

I’m delighted to be here to support the launch of this Pets in the City Guide. I’ve lived in the inner city for most of my adult life, and for most of that time, our family has had dogs, Staffies that are a very significant part of our lives.

Encouraging a pet-friendly City is a high priority for me.

The physical and psychological benefits of pet-owning are so well-documented now it seems strange that many building owners or body corporates have been so slow to catch up with the reality. ($4 billion annual health savings / physical / emotional benefits / highest rate of ownership in the world )

However, newer developments are adapting and we have major developments like Jackson’s Landing at Pyrmont, Moore Park Gardens in Redfern, and others in the CBD, Darlinghurst and Surry Hills that explicitly provide for pets and pet-owners. It’s a welcome and overdue change.

In fact, at Jackson’s Landing there are 200 dogs resident in the complex and our creation of Pirrama Park on the foreshore, on the old Water Police site, has given them a fantastic place to play.

Local government can – and should – support this trend. Pet ownership helps to build community, it gets people out and talking to each other– particularly those who would otherwise be isolated – and it provides measurable physical and psychological benefits.

At the City of Sydney, we’re working to make our city a more dog-friendly place, and we’ve vastly expanded the number of off-leash areas in our parks so that our dogs can get a healthy run and play freely.

But we are equally keen to promote responsible pet ownership and we run pet education programs – both for owners and non-pet owners – as well as various services for pet owners.

It helps make the City a friendlier place and pet-ownership brings great joy to a lot of people. This timely booklet, packed with useful information, will not only help pet-owners. It will also help build an urban culture which welcomes and supports companion animals and their owners. Congratulations to Suzy Willis and all those at the Pet Care Information Advisory Service for this excellent resource.

I’m pleased to support its messages.

Related information: | Animal Welfare | Speeches |