Jo Palmer,Minister for Primary Industries and Water
The Tasmanian Liberal Government takes animal welfare very seriously and that’s why we are taking action to further strengthen the Animal Welfare Act.
Developed with the RSPCA and key stakeholders, the draft Animal Welfare Act Amendment Bill 2022 is now open to public submissions.
The draft Bill seeks to provide greater protection for Tasmanian animals by strengthening the provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 1993 for the enforcement and prosecution of offences.
Key amendment proposals include:
- Expanding the meaning of ‘disposal’ to include euthanasia, sale or rehoming;
- Reversing the onus of proof so that an animal is assumed to belong to the person named as the owner in any animal welfare complaint unless proven otherwise;
- Further clarifying Animal Ethics Committee approvals for animal research;
- Providing additional sentencing options for animal cruelty and aggravated cruelty;
- Banning the use of pronged collars;
- Expanding authorised officer powers of entry;
- Expanding authorised officer powers to take possession of animals;
- Providing magistrates with the power to order the seizure and immediate disposal of animals at risk;
- Reducing the time for which animal carcasses are required to be kept;
- Providing for the ability to require information from people who are interstate; and
- Providing for early cost recovery for care of seized animals.
Public submissions on the draft Bill will close at 5pm on July 20, 2022.
This Government has previously bolstered the Animal Welfare Act, including increasing the penalty for aggravated cruelty to up to $33,600 and/or a maximum custodial sentence of up to five years imprisonment.
We take animal welfare seriously and we are delivering on our plan for more contemporary laws.
To view a copy of the draft Bill, and to access background information to the proposed amendments, including instructions on how to make a submission, visit nre.tas.gov.au/awa
