State Animal Welfare Legislation Summary
The State and Territory governments have the principal responsibility for animal welfare. Each State and Territory government has an Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC) that provides advice on animal welfare issues and on associated legislation.
State and Territory government officers are responsible for implementation of the provisions of animal welfare legislation, and in many cases designated officers of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) also have authority to prosecute offenders.
A review of animal welfare legislation in Australia shows that it is far from uniform in detail, although the broad principles are similar. State Acts have broad wording that tends to encompass a variety of events and allow the court to decide each case on an individual basis.
State / Territory | Principal Act | State Code of Practice | Administering Department | Fact Sheet |
QLD | Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 | Nil, however National COP is embedded in the Act | DPI | |
NSW | Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Act 1997 | Nil | NSW Agriculture | |
Vic | Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Regulations 1997. | Code of Accepted Practice for the welfare of pigs (October 2001) | DPI | |
SA | Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 | Nil, however National COP is embedded in the Act | Department of Environment and Heritage | |
WA | Animal Welfare Act 2002 | Code of Practice for pigs in Western Australia (March 2003) | Department of Local Government and Regional Development | |
Tasmania | | Welfare Standard No 5 - Pigs Animal | DPIWE | |
NT | Animal Welfare Act March 2000 | Nil | Department of Business, Industry and Resource Development | |
ACT | Animal Welfare Act 1992 | Nil | Environment ACT | |
