May 7th, 2022Helping our pets

The state government is delivering $11.5 million from the Victorian Budget 2022/23 for a new purpose-built animal shelter in Ballarat.
The new shelter will replace the existing shelter managed by the City of Ballarat – a repurposed abattoir – which will no longer meet the growing demands on its services as the Ballarat population and pet ownership have increased.

Ballarat is one of the fastest growing cities in regional Victoria. Between August 2020 and August 2021, the shelter cared for 2136 animals including dogs, cats, kittens, puppies, birds and rabbits, and has been often operating at capacity.
The new building will have all the facilities needed to deliver high quality domestic animal management services.
This includes better holding pens, capacity to hold an additional 100 animals and improved infection control with newer housing facilities.
The investment will transform animal welfare services in this region and adds to the Labor Government’s long record of improving the welfare of Victorian animals.
It will mean better care for the hundreds of animals that stay in the shelter each year and ensure it can meet the needs of the growing numbers of animals in the region for years to come.
The broader region will also benefit from the new animal shelter which will service pets in Hepburn, Moorabool, Golden Plains, Pyrenees, Ararat and Central Goldfields local government areas.
Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas: “This new facility will ensure the increasing number of pets in Ballarat can continue to be reunited with their owners as fast as possible and allow more animals to get the best care while they find their forever home.”