NEWSFLASH

RSPCA Tasmania has expelled animal advocate Suzanne Cass, broadly claiming recent
media criticism Ms Cass raised has ‘negatively impacted upon the Society’s ability to
meet its objectives’.
Ms Cass took the Society to task over what she believes is excessive expenditure on
administration at the expense of the organisation’s core values, the welfare of
animals and its law enforcement role.
‘I have asked a series of questions through the media because I could get no answers
from the Board’, said Ms Cass. ‘Although I was Acting President until November last
year and an active Board member until the end of April, confidentiality agreements
and a fundamental disrespect, along with clearly poor leadership, have led to a total
breakdown of communications, and the organisation now obviously regards itself as
completely unaccountable to the people who support it, its members. The ‘secret
society’ is well and truly back. There is such a sense of déjà vu about this; this sort of
behaviour is exactly what the previous board was deposed for. Two members of that
board were severely sanctioned for raising just these concerns’.
‘When the new Board took office last September, we undertook that we would
spend any available funds on the care and welfare of animals, avoid the mistakes of
the previous Board in setting up an administrative structure it couldn’t afford, and
that we would be open and transparent. Only three members of that original Board
remain, despite statements made that there is a ‘good, stable Board’, and
confidentiality agreements have been re‐introduced. I asked a series of questions
about the performance of this board in meeting the objectives it promised, and its
response is expulsion’.
Ms Cass received a letter on August 7 stating that the Society was ‘reviewing her
membership’, but despite five separate requests for complete and substantive
evidence that she had acted in a ‘manner detrimental to or contrary to the aims,
objectives and policies of the Society’, she received nothing until last Friday. The only
evidence provided then was an incomplete and inaccurate transcript of a Southern
Cross news broadcast from last month.
‘I am still in the dark with regard to obscure allegations’, Ms Cass continued. ‘But in
that news broadcast, I quoted prosecution statistics from RSPCA Australia, and the
letter I have now received seems to describe that information as ‘incorrect’ and
‘inaccurate’. What is more disturbing is that the Acting Chief Executive Officer (who
is also the CEO of RSPCA ACT), in that broadcast, described prosecutions as
“irrelevant”. The enforcement of animal cruelty legislation is a substantial element of
the organisation’s raison d’etre, moreover it is a key reason why the government and
the community support it, and the national statistics clearly demonstrate how
irrelevant the Society sees that function to be. And the newly advertised
Prosecutions position reports to the Acting CEO’.
‘I was given 7 days to respond to something that has obviously been a ‘done deal’ for
some months, which I find quite disturbing – and worse, I still have not received the
substantive evidence upon which this Board is relying. Because of Board numbers
and ongoing instability, these decisions are essentially carried by a ‘gang of three’,
which I suspect should be ringing alarm bells with the administrative agency
responsible for incorporated organisations. I do not believe that this sort of
behaviour is within the meaning or the spirit of the legislation, the Model Rules, nor
the Society’s own Constitution. This Board, according to the RSPCA Tasmania
website, only has five legitimate members of a possible 11, so potentially any
decisions it makes could be considered to be ultra vires, (or outside its powers
under) the legislation and its own Constitution’ , Ms Cass concluded.
For further information, please contact Suzanne Cass, 0420 988221
RSPCA National statistics (RSPCA Australia)
Complaints
ACT NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL
2008‐2009 912 13,683 11.724 2.894 2,678 14,445 4,419 50,765
2007‐2008 854 13,649 11,034 3,183 4,150 13,507 3,117 49,494
2006‐2007 684 11,812 9,576 2,738 1,848 12,361 2,896 41,915
2005‐2006 854 11,374 9,445 2,802 1,974 9,714 2,750 38,913
Prosecutions
ACT NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL
2008‐2009 6 105 23 40 24 50 11 259
2007‐2008 1 131 51 17 20 38 8 266
2006‐2007 0 144 40 35 67 25 41 352
2005‐2006 1 109 51 71 83 23 39 377
Convictions
ACT NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL
2008‐2009 1 70 20 40 24 50 11 259
2007‐2008 1 120 50 17 13 38 14 253
2006‐2007 1 96 32 35 22 24 26 236
2005‐2006 3 60 41 71 27 23 29 254
Routine Inspections
ACT NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA TOTAL
2008‐2009 0 55 384 24 178 57 0 698
2007‐2008 0 50 361 35 40 46 43 575
EXAMPLES OF ESTABLISHMENT THE RSPCA CLAIMS TO CONDUCT ‘ROUTINE
INSPECTIONS’ UPON
• Abattoirs
• Aquariums
• Breeding establishments
• Circuses
• Feedlots
• Guard dog firm
• Hobby farm
• Intensive farms
• Kennels
• Livestock vessels
• Markets
• Pet shops
• Poultry farms
• Pounds
• Riding schools
• Rodeos
• Saleyards
• Scientific establishments
• Shelters
• Shows
• Tourist parks
• Zoo
(Source: RSPCA National Statistics, 2003‐2009)