Act Rspca

[SkySoaringMagpie]

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local...is/2029762.aspx

RSPCA Crisis

BIANCA HALL

19 Dec, 2010 01:00 AM

The RSPCA will be forced to slash animal welfare services unless it receives an urgent funding boost, the service warns.

The Canberra branch says it is critically under-funded, requiring an additional $674,184 a year in government funding, on top of $3million it plans to fund-raise next year.

Meanwhile, demand for RSPCA services has risen 40per cent since 2005.

But Treasury says it needs to find an additional $25million in budget savings to return to surplus next financial year. It has invited those making submissions for funding in the 2011-12 financial year to identify areas of spending that could be cut, scaled back or privatised to meet these savings.

However the RSPCA submission, provided exclusively to the Sunday Canberra Times, said the Government last year failed to fulfil its contractual obligations to negotiate with the service about ongoing funding requirements.

The RSPCA said it continued to operate under outdated assessments of its cost pressures.

Unless this was urgently redressed, it would be forced to cut its 24-hour telephone service, its animal ambulance service, welfare outreach services and at least one job without urgent funding increases.

''It'd be devastating and it's something I don't want to do at all,'' chief executive Michael Linke said.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times

[Souff]

The RSPCA said it continued to operate under outdated assessments of its cost pressures.

Why? Do they not have an accounts manager? Any business or charity whose assessment of costs is not up to date is sunk.

SOuff

[WreckitWhippet]

Quick get out your credit cards and give, give , give...

[Souff]

Quick get out your credit cards and give, give , give...

The accountant has forbidden Souff to do that ....... it is apparently more lethal than not knowing what your costs are.

He mentioned something about champagne diet on beer income but I really dont know what he was talking :rolleyes:

[Kirty]

Why are you all so quick to knock the RSPCA in ACT? They are the only RSPCA who run on a no-kill basis and they do a great job. But I guess you guys do so much rescue yourself so of course, you have every right to sit back and laugh.

[whippets]

Why doesn't the ACT R$PCA ask Uncle Hugh Wirth to release some of the $8 mill in cash assets from Vic to ACT? After all It is for all creatures great and small, not state v's state.

I'm sure that add in the newspaper will make, some already hard on cash, pensioners miss out on christmas presents for the grandkids so they can fund a poorly operated R$PCA organisation in the ACT.

[Souff]

Why are you all so quick to knock the RSPCA in ACT? They are the only RSPCA who run on a no-kill basis and they do a great job. But I guess you guys do so much rescue yourself so of course, you have every right to sit back and laugh.

Kirty,

Nobody has said that they dont do a good job with the animals. This is about the financial state they are in, as reported in the media. There appears to be something amiss.

Souff

[sandgrubber]

It would be interesting to see the details on this. What is the 40% increase in demand for their services about? Is it an increase of dogs/cats/etc in shelters? more calls relating to cruelty? more nuisance complaints? all of the above?

I am sure there are some overpaid stuffed shirts in the RSPCA. . . . as with most any 'Royal' charity.

But is there a larger problem? and is that problem related to the call for mandatory desexing?

Edited December 19, 2010 by sandgrubber

[KKDD]

Not much point in making a thread on the RSPCA on DOL and expecting balanced discussion. There is a vocal cohort of people on DOL that have their minds made up that RSPCA deserves only criticism and will hear no good of the organisation. Their veiws are not strongly reflected outside DOL however and the RSPCA remains a respected organisation in the broader community, and it is widely recognised that it is staffed by people who genuinely care about animals and do their best for them. In so far as the RSPCA enjoys broad popular support, it can be seen that their policies that attract some of the most vitriolic criticism on DOL, are at least tacitly supported elsewhere.

Important to remember that DOL is a very small community of people with a particular narrow area of interst in common. Within DOL the RSPCA-haters are a narrower group again. Just having the loudest voice doesnt make a veiw mainstream.

[raz]

Quick get out your credit cards and give, give , give...

:D OK where do I sign over a gazillion dollars?

Interesting - only yesterday I heard a bleating ad on the radio asking for people to donate to save all the little furries dumped at xmas time. What on earth do they do with all of their dough? oh that's right...lots of advertising space on commercial tv and radio.

[Staranais]

Not much point in making a thread on the RSPCA on DOL and expecting balanced discussion. There is a vocal cohort of people on DOL that have their minds made up that RSPCA deserves only criticism and will hear no good of the organisation. Their veiws are not strongly reflected outside DOL however and the RSPCA remains a respected organisation in the broader community, and it is widely recognised that it is staffed by people who genuinely care about animals and do their best for them. In so far as the RSPCA enjoys broad popular support, it can be seen that their policies that attract some of the most vitriolic criticism on DOL, are at least tacitly supported elsewhere.

Most people are shocked when you explain to them that there is no official channel of appeal against decisions made by the RSPCA, and that they are therefore a law unto themselves. Should the RSPCA make a bad call, treat you badly, there is no one to appeal to. They're the only organisation I know that is not accountable to anybody for their behaviour.

Most people merely support the RSPCA since that's what a nice person is supposed to do, not because they know anything about the charity.

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

Not much point in making a thread on the RSPCA on DOL and expecting balanced discussion. There is a vocal cohort of people on DOL that have their minds made up that RSPCA deserves only criticism and will hear no good of the organisation. Their veiws are not strongly reflected outside DOL however and the RSPCA remains a respected organisation in the broader community, and it is widely recognised that it is staffed by people who genuinely care about animals and do their best for them. In so far as the RSPCA enjoys broad popular support, it can be seen that their policies that attract some of the most vitriolic criticism on DOL, are at least tacitly supported elsewhere.

Most people are shocked when you explain to them that there is no official channel of appeal against decisions made by the RSPCA, and that they are therefore a law unto themselves. Should the RSPCA make a bad call, treat you badly, there is no one to appeal to. They're the only organisation I know that is not accountable to anybody for their behaviour.

Most people merely support the RSPCA since that's what a nice person is supposed to do, not because they know anything about the charity.

totally agree staranais. australians are very generous and give to what they see is a worthwhile cause often without understanding how the charity works nor how it is managed.

it is only by public discussion that they find this out.

[raz]

totally agree staranais. australians are very generous and give to what they see is a worthwhile cause often without understanding how the charity works nor how it is managed.

Yep and I must say, I was actually really impressed with the ad I heard yesterday. They know how to tug on the heart strings. Very clever marketing.

[Raelene]

Please make sure that you know the organisation thoroughly before criticising it.

RSPCA ACT are a great organisation who try very hard to improve things for animals in need in the ACT community. They definitely stand out on their own with their forward moving ideas and strategies. They are worthy of public contribution.

Whilst many may have other views on RSPCA's australia-wide, and I am unable to comment on those, in my view the RSPCA in ACT has the best interests in the animals at heart.

We see them personally trying to make a difference to the dogs on death row. They went in and parvo tested, washed and checked dogs for rescue when the parvo outbreak was at DAS. I have seen first hand some of the great assistance they give to dogs that need a bit longer to find the right homes rather than send them to rainbow bridge. I have seen them step in and help dogs that no other rescue had chosen to do.

For those that are just criticising for the sake of it - go find a more worthwhile tree to bark at .

R

[Jaxx'sBuddy]

i will bark at whomever i like,

i refuse to bow down to emotional blackmail.

this critical discussion is not about the animals or the work they do.

its about organisational management (or lack thereof) which directly affects the money that can go to help said animals.

if they were better managed maybe they could help more....ever think about that?

[raz]

For those that are just criticising for the sake of it - go find a more worthwhile tree to bark at .

R

No I dont think so. This seems like a pretty good tree to bark at.

[Staranais]

Yes, I volunteered at the SPCA myself when I was younger (although not in ACT), most of the grass roots staff were passionate about what they did, and did make a difference.

That does not change the fact that the SPCA are an organisation with huge power and no transparent appeals process. That's just scary. There is so much potential for things to go wrong.

[Souff]

Not much point in making a thread on the RSPCA on DOL and expecting balanced discussion.

I like that word "balanced".

It comes into balancing of the books too.

Do you have a budget KKDD?

Does the place you work for have a budget?

Most people and places that handle money have a budget. Even charities.

Souff

Edited December 20, 2010 by Souff

[Souff]

Please make sure that you know the organisation thoroughly before criticising it.

RSPCA ACT are a great organisation who try very hard to improve things for animals in need in the ACT community. They definitely stand out on their own with their forward moving ideas and strategies. They are worthy of public contribution.

Whilst many may have other views on RSPCA's australia-wide, and I am unable to comment on those, in my view the RSPCA in ACT has the best interests in the animals at heart.

We see them personally trying to make a difference to the dogs on death row. They went in and parvo tested, washed and checked dogs for rescue when the parvo outbreak was at DAS. I have seen first hand some of the great assistance they give to dogs that need a bit longer to find the right homes rather than send them to rainbow bridge. I have seen them step in and help dogs that no other rescue had chosen to do.

For those that are just criticising for the sake of it - go find a more worthwhile tree to bark at .

R

Raelene,

Nobody is criticising the quality of the work that the workers, paid or volunteers, do. Read the media article again, then read the comments.

Souff

[KKDD]

On the news this morning I heard that St Vincent De Paul in some NSW town is seeking greater government support because the human need in their area has gone up 4-fold in recent times. Also another charity organisation mentioned in the story noted that the requests by low income families for assistance with bills has increased 75%. I imagine that the needs of animals in the community parallels some of the struggles that families have to contend with.

Do you guys want to have a kick at those charities too, for not managing their expenditure better?