Press Release
For Immediate Release
November 26, 2007

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SUBMISSION OF URBAN ANIMAL MAGAZINE - PAGE 1

In reference to the proposed Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill 2007, put forward by Clover Moore, I would like to make a submission on how this issue might be handled and also give our thoughts as a print media publication in the consumer and commercial pet aspects of NSW. It's taken us a month from time of the proposed bill being announced to have consultation with various pet industry parties as well as animal welfare organisations and others. But here is our proposal:

BACKGROUND

I'm Phil Tripp, the publisher of Urban Animal, a Sydney based quarterly cross-pet magazine that has been going in print and online for over three years with 13 issues of 40,000 copies, full colour glossy tabloid size, distributed free to consumers. Our latest issue was released November 15 and is 60 pages, marking the beginning of our fourth year. We go out to over 400 outlets--pet shops, pet supply outlets, vets, groomers, boarding kennels, pet friendly cafes and events--throughout the Sydney region with free copies, which are quickly exhausted due to the popularity and demand.

Our website is http://www.urbananimal.net/ which contains all 13 issues, downloadable as PDFs and we are a respected, ethical publication with myself and the editor--Lisa Treen--often asked to comment on pet issues in other media. We also have a responsive readership who call us with their views, email and mail us with their concerns as well as talk with us at various pet events we attend.

We are not aligned to any industry association or lobbying organisation and do not do advertorial, accept ads for dangerous products, pet junk food or inappropriate content. Though we contain advertising from a variety of pet businesses, we have very few pet stores among our advertisers and most of those who have advertised with us do not sell livestock. Our advertisers are mostly pet products and services. In our November 15 edition, we had 80 advertisements of which only three were pet supply stores, only one sold livestock while most ads were for food, medicines, specialised services, toys, treats and other miscellaneous products.

Urban Animal is not a member of any organisation nor do we have an affiliation with any pet industry groups. We are not sponsored by anyone and are fiercely independent. In our latest issue we had an item about the Bill but merely urged readers to access and read it, give their opinions to their representatives after studying it, without giving our opinion one way or the other. We also had an article on How To Pick A Pet Shop, but it did not go into buying livestock as an issue.

We have had lively debate with the PIAA (Pet Industry Association of Australia) in the past over their lack of implementing an appropriate accreditation scheme and policing what little they then had in place. We felt that their previous boards were lacking in leadership, had no media strategy, were unresponsive to key issues and were headed for the obvious iceberg that is the Bill. We also vigorously opposed their proposal to sell reptiles and wildlife in pet stores and on the other side of the equation, pointed out the inequities of having reptile licenses only qualified by payment of a fee to government and not governed by any knowledge of care, facilities or other parameters.

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