Ms Patricia Reilly:

I take the Senator's point. I was not around when the microchipping regulations were being conceived. There would have been input from the Houses as well. We might need to tease this out but I expect that part of the motivation behind expanding the ability to microchip would have been compliance. If breeders or others are allowed to microchip, the owner does not have to bring the dog to the vet to be microchipped. They can do that but it is easier if they can buy a dog that has been microchipped already. It may well have been about compliance in the early days. However, I take the point that it is worth considering.