By Vanessa Chircop
SPOTSWOOD residents are up in arms amid claims barking dogs are making life in the Hobsons Bay suburb unbearable.
The council is set to receive a petition containing 71 signatures at tonight’s meeting in relation to barking dogs at the Spotswood Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) on Craig St.
One resident told Star living next to the site was torture and questioned the validity of its location, saying when the Commonwealth Government sold the land in 2001 to private owners it should have relocated.
“It’s absolutely torturous at the worst of times and very unpleasant at the best,” the resident said.
“During peak time there can be up to 150 dogs in the facility and they can be set off by anything – during feeding time, visitors hours or if someone walks through the park at five in the morning.
“They have an intruder response and we’re locked into that intruder response – the barking then sets off neighbour’s dogs as well.
“We have rooms in our house we cannot occupy.”
The site, which has been there for about 50 years, processes animals brought in from overseas to minimise the risk of exotic pests and diseases entering the country.
A spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), who operate the site, said the department was aware of the petition.
“In managing the activities at the quarantine station, all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the day to day operations are undertaken in a manner that minimises disturbance to the local community,” the spokesperson said.
Hobsons Bay Director Business and Finance Glenn O’Sullivan said AQIS in Spotswood is not required to be registered with the council as it is not a Domestic Animal Business.
“The site was sold to a private buyer some years ago and the Commonwealth has continued to operate the AQIS service from it,” Mr O’Sullivan said.
“It is an unusual situation to have a Commonwealth-run facility on private land and presents a number of complex issues.
“The likelihood of successfully prosecuting a Commonwealth agency is remote, as the council typically has no authority over the Commonwealth.”
The spokesperson for DAFF said since the land on Craig St was sold the quarantine station has been leased back by the private owner to the Commonwealth.
The department would not say how much the land was sold for or how much the yearly lease costs.
