The WA Government has awarded Seisma Group a $9.8 million contract to establish an online centralised registration system for dogs and cats.

The new online system, called PetsWA, will improve traceability of dogs to deter puppy farming, replacing all dog and cat registers currently managed by local government, and will be used by pet owners, local governments, rangers and rescue organisations.

The system will enable local governments to identify cases of puppy farming through improved visibility of pet registrations and transfers, and breeders across Western Australia.

Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley said that this is another milestone in the work that the Cook Government is doing to implement their Stop Puppy Farming reforms.

“PetsWA simplifies the registration process for dog and cat owners, and ensure their origins can be traced, making the cruel practice of puppy farming easier to identify and stamp out.

“Work to finalise regulations and guidelines to fully enact the Stop Puppy Farming reforms is progressing well and expected to take effect before the PetsWA system goes live.”

Importantly, historical registration data will be migrated from 139 local governments during the development phase of PetsWA, to enable a seamless registration experience for users. WA residents who move houses into a new local government will be able to update their address via PetsWA.

Seisma Group was selected via a competitive procurement process and has significant experience working with government agencies to provide innovative, streamlined, and user-centric online systems.

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