Simon Bridges MP for Tauranga

'It is time to get tough on really serious animal cruelty. The public’s attitude has hardened on this and so should Court sentences’, says Simon.

Simon is seeking multi-party support for a private member’s bill he is putting in the ballot at Parliament to raise the maximum penalty for wilful ill-treatment of animals under section 28 of the Animal Welfare Act 1999 from 3 to 5 years' imprisonment.

• 02 February 2010: Government adopts animal cruelty bill

  Hon David Carter, Minister of Agriculture        
  A member’s bill raising the penalty for animal cruelty is to be adopted as a Government bill.Agriculture Minister David Carter says he will introduce the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill 2010 into Parliament for referral to Select Committee.

• 02 February 2010: MP welcomes Government adoption of Animal Cruelty Bill

  Simon Bridges
  National Party MP for Tauranga
  Tauranga MP Simon Bridges has welcomed the National Caucus decision to adopt his Private Member's Bill as a Government bill at its meeting today.
   
  “My colleagues, led by the Prime Minister, have decided to send a strong signal that animal cruelty will not be tolerated,” Mr Bridges says.

• Time to get tough on animal cruelty - Simon Bridges, 2 January 2010
• STRONG WARNING TO ANIMAL ABUSERS - Bob Kerridge, SPCA, 2 January 2010

• MP seeks longer jail sentences for animal cruelty - NZPA, 29.01.10
• Maulings spark call to train dog owners - Isaac Davison, NZ Herald, 27 January 2010
• The evils of animal cruelty come in all shapes and sizes - Deborah Coddington, NZ Herald, 24 January 2010
• Time to get tough on animal cruelty - Editorial, Dominion Post, 18 January 2010
• Onya Simon - Keeping stock, 18 January 2010
• Dom Post on aminal cruelty, Kiwiblog, 18 January 2010
• SPCA backs Simon - Bob Kerridge, Executive Director SPCA, 6 January 2010 
• Banding around Simon for animal rights - Sunlive, 5 January 2010
• Tougher Penalties Proposed for Wilful Ill-Treatment of Animals - The Solution, 4 January 2010
• Time to get tough on animal cruelty - Scoop, 3 January 2010
• SPCA supports bill to increase penalty for animal abuse - TV3, 3 January 2010
• MP seeks crackdown on cruelty to animals - Herald, 2 January 2010
• Strong warning to Animal Abusers - SPCA, 2 January 2010
• Simon wants to 'get tough' - Sunlive, 2 January 2010
• Call to get tough on animal abuse - ODT, 2 January 2010
• Time to get tough over animal cruelty, says MP - Horsetalk, 2 January 2010
• Time to get tough on animal cruelty - NZnewsUK, 2 January 2010
• SPCA backs increased penalty for animal abuse - Yahoo News, 2 January 2010
• Harsher penalties for animal cruelty, Kiwiblog, 2 January 2010
• Time to crack down on animal cruelty, No Right Turn, 2 January 2010