A Brisbane pub is leading the charge to change laws around dogs in pubs, after a single complaint forced a ban on dogs in the inner-north venue, Archer Brewing.
The venue, named after the owner’s dog, even brewed a ‘dog beer’ made from carbonated chicken stock, to cater to passers-by as they followed an adjacent dog walking route.
Publican Stuart Martin aimed for a dog-friendly space from the beginning, keeping dogs in mind throughout both the design and building stages.
Design elements included concrete floors, blockages and multiple doors.
“Everyone knew us as the place where you could walk down and have a beer with your dog,” he told the ABC.
Martin hails from Scotland, where it was unusual if a pub didn’t have a dog or two around.
Yet in November Brisbane City Council forced him to ban dogs at his venue.
Under Australian law pets are only allowed at a venue that serves food if they are a service animal or if there is outdoor dining.
The Archer Brewing building is in the style of an aircraft hangar and does not have a suitable outdoor area.
Martin is now campaigning for a change in the national Food Standards Code.
Brisbane City Council itself agrees the code is outdated, with Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner requesting a “timely review” of the code from Federal Health Minister Mark Butler.
While the Federal Health Minister is yet to respond, acting assistant secretary for the Population Health Division, Stacey Andrews, advised any such requests needed to be directed to Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ).
A FSANZ spokesperson said in a statement that the code must consider the needs of businesses as well as the public and regulators.
Changes would therefore need to take into account current data and any other relevant evidence.
Critically, proposed changes would require evidence of continued protection of the public’s health and safety that maintains or exceeds current levels.
Pet ownership increased dramatically over the pandemic and as venues across the country have come into conflict with food safety rules, it has been argued that the law has not kept up with expectations of the community.
Queensland Health Minister Shannon Fentiman has ensured the subject will be raised at the upcoming Food Ministers’ Meeting this November, believing there should be more flexibility built into the policing of the code.
Earlier this year Ms Fentiman intervened on another order, ensuring an elderly cat could remain at Koumala Hotel, near Mackay.
The locals had rallied to have the decision to remove the cat overturned, returning a petition signed by ten times the town’s population of around 700 people.
The Siamese cat is now allowed to stay, so long as it doesn’t venture near food preparation areas.
Tiffany Howell is a researcher at La Trobe University whose speciality is the relationship between animals and humans.
She says that while it depends on the individual cat, there is an argument to allow cats and dogs in the same public spaces.
“If an animal enjoys being in new places and that animal is under the control of the owner, I don’t really see the rationale in having species-specific exceptions to the rules,” Dr Howell told the ABC.
Dr Howell also pointed out that compared with Europe, Australia’s laws were conservative around pets in public.
She said that particularly in rural areas animals helped minimise loneliness.
“If the presence of an animal is what gets people communicating with each other, then that might be really important,” she continued.
Martin has created a petition to change the food standards code, which currently sits at over 13,000 signatures.
