Baby Dragon Posted December 10, 2010 Share Posted December 10, 2010 (edited) New public role for assistance dogs Written by Content Team Friday, 21 May 2010 11:41 Two young Queenslanders with a disability have just achieved a national 'first' – using an accredited assistance dog in public with the same rights as guide and hearing dog owners. Queensland Disability Services Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland's Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 aimed to ensure people with a disability and their assistance dogs had access to public spaces and places such as cinemas, cafes, public transport and Parliament House. Ms Palaszczuk congratulated five-year-old Reilly Paterson and 24-year-old Luke Sharpe who are the first two Queenslanders to gain Handler Identity Cards for their dogs under the new legislation. "These are the first assistance dogs certified through a public access test that has been approved by a certified trainer," she said. "Queensland is leading the way. These laws are an Australia first and they're changing people's lives. "Assistance dogs make daily life easier for people with a physical, neurological or sensory disability, by doing things like opening or closing doors, pressing pedestrian crossing buttons. "It's apparent to me that these dogs have had a profound impact on the lives of their handlers and their families." Ms Palaszczuk said the new Act extends the anti-discrimination provision of the previous Guide Dogs Act 1972 to people with an assistance dog. "It's a groundbreaking measure that will mean new freedom for people with a disability other than sight and hearing impairments who depend on a dog to help them live independently," she said. Owners of assistance dogs can now have them trained by government-approved trainers, Ms Palaszczuk said. "Business owners and the public should be aware that assistance dogs can be of any breed and size and will often not be as easily recognisable as guide dogs, which are mostly Labrador/Retriever breeds." Ms Palaszczuk said certified guide, hearing or assistance dogs could be identified by a badge on their coat or harness. "We understand that businesses and other organisations need to know that the dogs are accredited – which is why they have this identification system.'' She said the government was committed to an ongoing awareness campaign to ensure business owners know the law's requirements. The new law provides tougher penalties for refusing access to a person accompanied by a guide, hearing or assistance dog. Fines have increased from $100 for an individual in breach of the Act to a maximum of $10,000, and from $500 for a business up to $50,000. Further information on the legislative requirements can be obtained at: www.qld.gov.au/ghadogs http://www.getliving.com.au/index.php?opti...s&Itemid=50 Edited December 10, 2010 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Great news! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 ! Lots of happier people , and cute dogs out & about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 I work for this dept and at our central office building there is a lady who has a guide dog puppy in training that she is allowed to bring to work and another worker has a small yorkie looking dog that is also in training to be an assistance dog that she brings to work with her. It's gives me a warm fuzzy feeling when I see them coming and going from the building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pipsqueak Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Is this Australia-wide, or only in Queensland??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted December 11, 2010 Author Share Posted December 11, 2010 (edited) Is this Australia-wide, or only in Queensland??? The particular change to the law mentioned on that website is only in Queensland, however Assistance Dogs have had public access rights for many years in all states by Federal Law. It's just that Queensland has given Assistance Dog users extra protection from discrimination now. As well as that, they're making it so that Assistance Dogs covered under the new law are easily identifiable with the requirement that they wear a new logo on their vest or harness. Edited December 11, 2010 by Baby Dragon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tapua Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 WONERFUL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katdogs Posted December 11, 2010 Share Posted December 11, 2010 Great publicity! How does the government approve the trainers, and is there a list of them somewhere? I've been asked that about NSW and it can be a murky issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Dragon Posted December 12, 2010 Author Share Posted December 12, 2010 Great publicity!How does the government approve the trainers, and is there a list of them somewhere? I've been asked that about NSW and it can be a murky issue. For Queensland, all the information is here http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/key-proje...nce-guide-dogs/ A list of the approved organisations and trainers is here http://www.disability.qld.gov.au/key-proje...s/trainers.html The organisations and trainers have to apply to be approved and meet certain requirements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now