From 2h agoKey events1h agoNearly 100 flights cancelled at Sydney airport due to wild weather2h ago’Not a corrupt person’: Dutton on Berejiklian3h agoMore than 7,000 people tell Geoscience Australia they felt Victoria earthquake3h agoFinal Taylor Swift tickets to go on sale3h agoMajority of Australians think universities should be free, poll shows4h agoWelcomeFilters BETAKey events (6)ABC RN (5)Chris Bowen (3)Rawson (3)Gladys Berejiklian Icac (3)Melbourne (3)1m ago19.58 EDTBenita Kolovos
The Victorian government is set to hold the nation’s first pet census to get a picture of how many people own pets and what support and services they require.
Agriculture minister, Gayle Tierney, on Friday announced the state’s pet census will open at 10am on Monday and encouraged Victorians to take part.
The census, in the form of an online questionnaire that will take about 15 minutes to complete, will ask a variety of questions to gather crucial information on pet ownership and the attitudes and experiences of owners.
She said the data will help the government get a better idea of the state’s pets and plan for their welfare needs.
Pet ownership rates in Australian households have risen from 61% to 69% since the pandemic but there are no comprehensive state or national figures, other than microchip databases.
Tierney said:
As an organisation that cares for a variety of animal species, as well as cats and dogs, we are looking forward to the Victorian pet census closing the current knowledge gap on pet ownership experiences and attitudes. This Census data will help us improve our services and provide better quality support to a broader range of pet owners in our community.
11m ago19.48 EDT
A senior US official will visit the Sterling naval base in Western Australia as part of a trip to Australia this week.
The US assistant secretary of defence for strategy, plans and capabilities, Mara Karlin, is visiting Australia “for a series of counterpart and defense personnel engagements”, according to the Pentagon.
The Pentagon press secretary, Pat Ryder, said at a regular press briefing overnight:
She is slated to conduct meetings in Canberra to discuss Australia’s defence strategic reviews and our US national defence strategy and will meet with US Marines assigned to Marine Rotational Force Darwin.
Dr Karlin will conclude her trip with a visit to Naval Base Stirling as part of ongoing Aukus discussions.
Under the Aukus plans announced in March, the US and the UK plan to establish a rotational presence of nuclear-powered submarines at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia from 2027. This is expected to include one UK Astute class submarine and up to four US Virginia class submarines.
Updated at 19.55 EDT22m ago19.38 EDT
‘This is very normal’: Expert on regular tremors in Victoria
A magnitude 4.6 earthquake that rattled residents in regional Victoria this morning joins a series of tremors over the past month – aftershocks from the 2021 magnitude…
2023-06-29 18:48:45
Original from www.theguardian.com
rnrn