President Vin McPhee waxed lyrical in his Rationale for his discriminatory Rule 2.52 change he successfully proposed at the 2022 AGM for eligibility to office of Management Committee.

Personally we wouldn’t be too proud of a rule that would mandate disqualification to nomination and holding of Management Committee office on an unproven charge made by an vengeful neighbour that you stole their letterbox 50 years ago.

However you are in luck if you are a convicted rapist or have served a prison sentence for drug offences. You would not face an automatic disqualification.

As it has become an annual “event” over the last couple of years for President Vin McPhee to be the Mover or Seconder of annual Rule 2.52 changes…

…can we humbly suggest our President address some more glaring disqualification criteria in Dogs Victoria.

Dogs Victoria rule 2.17 is an interesting case in point.

Rule 2.17 Disciplining of Members
Members shall strictly observe and act in conformity with and not otherwise than in accordance with the Rules, Regulations, Codes of Ethics and Codes of Practice of the VCA and shall not conduct themselves in such a manner as to bring the VCA into disrepute or to bring themselves as a breeder, owner, exhibitor, handler, Show official, Judge or VCA member into disrepute

What does a finding of guilt, by the auspicious Dogs Victoria legal eagles, of breaching Rule 2.17 mean for your options in Dogs Victoria?

Banned…

…from being a Victorian Canine Association (VCA) Representative. ✖️

But…

…not banned from being on the Management Committee.✔️

How anomalous, you are not considered an suitable person to be a VCA Representative but you are suitable to be on the Management Committee with controlling powers over Dogs Victoria.

You can even have a Code Of Practice breeding breach and a finding of Bringing Dogs Victoria into Disrepute, Rule 2.17 and be eligible for Management Committee, as is the case with a new appointee this year.

How about eligibility criteria to be a Dogs Victoria Judge?

Can you be a convicted peadophile and be a Dogs Victoria Judge and judge young children handling dogs?

Yes you can, because Dogs Victoria does not make it compulsory for all Judges to provide a Working With Childrens Check.

“Surely” you say “at least a Junior Handler judge must have to have a Working With Children Check?”

We thought we would today 27th September 2022, check the Dogs Victoria website and see.

And you can read it for yourselves!

“Timeline”

“Under the timeline for implementing this check, clubs and associations of a recreational or sporting nature that provide activities for children, are required to ensure that all people who are in contact with children through these activities have applied for a WWC Check from 1st July 2009”

Then goes on to say this!

“This deadline has been extended indefinitely. This is no longer a REQUIREMENT to become a junior handler judge, but is strongly RECOMMENDED”

Yes that is right.

NO REQUIREMENT FOR A WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK FOR A JUNIOR HANDLER JUDGE…

…NOR FOR ANY OTHER JUDGE, WHO MIGHT HAVE A JUNIOR IN THE RING HANDLING UNDER THEM.