Media release – Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania, 13 July 2022

Submissions closing on draft Animal Welfare Amendment Bill 2022

Submissions for the draft Animal Welfare Amendment Bill 2022 will close on 20 July 2022, at 5pm.

Developed with the RSPCA and key stakeholders, the draft Bill seeks to support and further strengthen the provisions under the Animal Welfare Act 1993 for the enforcement and prosecution of animal welfare offences in Tasmania.

The 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
  • providing for early cost recovery for care of seized animals.

For more information on the draft Bill or to make a submission, visit the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania website – https://nre.tas.gov.au/awa