On Sunday the VAC held its AGM. All positions were declared vacant and then the elections were held. All positions have been updated under the CONTACT US tab.  A motion to allow two affiliates of one club to hold a position on the executive was voted on and passed, the changes to the constitution will be made and come into affect at the Nov 21 AGM. 

Last night the VAC hosted its September meeting via Zoom and although for some it was their first time using this format after a few teething problems the meeting went really well.
Some of the items discussed were:
Wildlife licenses are due September 30, 2020. Today)
Expo dates have been collated for 2021.
Care Guides on various species in PDF for handouts at Expos
Approval of Wire Cages, not compulsory, at VAC approved Expos
Public Liability Insurance
Native Species Legislation
VAC Constitution
Discussion on changing the classification of wildlife species to domestic
Golden Plains Shire Draft Law 2
Draft Report on importation of psittacine birds
Updates of our Web Site and Facebook page.

Well the wait is nearly over, sales begin again in only a couple of weeks.

It is a warm welcome back to Geelong to kick the season off, closely followed by Swan Hill and Gippsland [Warragul].

Be sure to know your responsibilities, as sellers and buyers, as the welfare of birds is of paramount importance. Ensure you are aware of all the requirements of the Code of Practice for Bird Sales.

For details go to the events detail page or look it up on our Facebook page....

Even if not buying or selling come along and learn more from a whole bunch of experts.

​See you soon........

The affiliated clubs, who wish to conduct a bird sale/expo in 2018 have chosen their dates. These have since been sent to the Department for approval. These are still not approved by the Government & the native wildlife amnesty is yet to be granted. At this stage all sale/expo's details and dates (which are located on our website) are subject to the approval and amnesty being granted. We expect this to be granted soon. In the meantime mark your diary with the sale dates and get planning 2018 is set to be a great year.  

​Bird club representatives attended a productive consultation meeting with Ministerial Adviser Jadon Mintern and senior DEDJTR officials in the offices of the Victorian Minister for Agriculture at 1:30pm on 15/6/2017. The following bird group representatives attended - Samuel Davis (CCBFA) via Video Link, Ron Hicks and Dean Rowlands (Victorian Avicultural Council), Colin Flannagan, James Smith and Martin Paoli (Budgerigar Council of Victoria), David White (National Finch and Softbill Association), apologies were received from Charles Hider (Victorian Pigeon Racing Federations).

The business of the meeting centred on assessing the government’s proposed Domestic Animals Act 1994 amendment to permanently exempt trading of birds by recognised bird clubs from Section 96. If you recall the current Section 96 makes it illegal to sell birds outside of pet shops or private residences. This amendment aims to ensure bird clubs can continue sales and other trading events into the future. The proposal is in principle similar to the amendment bird clubs first put to the Minister on 26/10/2016 (reproduced below) with two significant differences.
1. Bird clubs register as a declared bird organisation – a one off process. This may be done by individual clubs or on their behalf by representative bodies.
2. Notification of sale events is direct to the department (DEDJTR) rather than relevant council. Notification is a simple list of club events where birds may be traded – sales, shows, meetings. Amendment put to Minister 26/10/2016 INSERT the following into section 96 of the Domestic Animals Act 1994— "(ac) unless the sale is organised by an incorporated association whose purpose includes the welfare of the animals to be sold and the relevant council has been notified of date/time and location of the sale at least 14 days prior; or".

All parties agree there will be no animal sale permits required for bird clubs, no approval process and no additional regulation of events by government. Both the original and proposed amendment prevent the sale of animals at “car boot” style sales whilst allowing bird clubs to operate as they have done for hundreds of years, solving the Minister’s concern regarding the original intent of Section 96. Final detail of the proposed amendment and its implementation is still to be negotiated and finalised. All parties have committed to ongoing consultation.

Report Written by Sam Davis, Vice President - Canary and Caged Bird Federation of Australia Inc. (CCBFA) 

The Goulburn Valley Branch A.S.A held their Bird Expo last Sunday 21st May, in Shepparton. The Expo consisted of 102 tables operated by 80 sellers, as well as 18 commercial sites including a very busy seed seller. There was good buyer numbers in attendance, conservatively estimating at around 800 people enjoying the event. Education of sellers continued and although not perfect, all took the information provided on-board. The standard of set-ups continues to improve with many taking a lead for the best operators; sellers are beginning to realise the better their birds and boxes look, the more likely they are to sell the birds on offer. As with all sales, Australia wide, clearance rates were down on previous years but everyone appeared to leave satisfied with their day.