Victorian Parliament BANS unofficial mascot

A beloved pooch, who became the unofficial canine mascot of the Victorian Parliament, has been banned from the building.

Fourteen-year-old Maltese terrier Sprite, who belongs to a parliamentary staffer, had been spending his days in the parliamentary library, but he has been barred after the Department of Parliamentary Services deemed it inappropriate for him to be in the workplace.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell said he’s an “apolitical dog” and it’s “a great shame” he’s been banned.

Press PLAY below to hear Georgie’s view on the Sprite ban

“In a place like Parliament where there can be a lot of hostility, there can be arguments, there can be debate, he was an apolitical dog that brought us all together,” she told Neil Mitchell.

In a statement a Department of Parliamentary spokesperson said “Sprite continues to be very welcome on the Parliamentary Precinct during our regularly organised Pets on Precinct days”.