Albany no longer has a locally-based RSPCA WA inspector despite the city being regional animal cruelty hotspot

Despite topping RSPCA WA’s regional list for animal cruelty complaints, Albany has lost its local inspector as the charity faces increasing financial challenges. A July 2023 report from RSPCA WA named Albany as the number one regional local government area for animal cruelty acts, with 190 reports made in 2022-23, up 30 per cent on the previous year. Five of the other LGAs on the top-10 list were in the South West with a collective 469 complaints, including Bunbury, Busselton, Harvey, Augusta-Margaret River and Collie. Albany was the only local government area in the Great Southern on the regional top-10 list. An RSPCA WA spokesperson said the decision to “centralise resources” was due to mounting financial pressures. “RSPCA WA is a charity that does the best it can with the monies it receives,” they said. “We are expecting a $4 million loss in financial year 2025 and cannot keep operating the way we have on the funding we receive. “For the time being, that means centralising resources into areas with the highest numbers of complaints — which remains in Perth metro areas and the South West — and servicing other regional areas with regular visits by a team of inspectors on a needs basis.” RSPCA WA said it was changing to a two-person inspector system to combat safety threats posed in the field of duty. “Unlike the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and every other government agency including WA Police, our inspectors have been operating alone in the field — facing unknown conditions, threatening situations and potentially violent offenders,” they said. The spokesperson also said recruiting and retaining regional staff had proven “extremely difficult”. RSPCA WA currently has 10 inspectors on the road for the State.