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Recently the ACT Legislative Assembly passed amendments to the Animal Welfare Act 1992.
ACT Animal Welfare Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 (the “Sentience Bill”) includes changes to animal trapping permits.
The University’s submission to reduce duplication and regulatory burden around trapping permits was passed. This means there is no longer a requirement for researchers to obtain a trapping permit under the ACT Animal Welfare Act 1992 where one had already been granted for the same purpose under the ACT Nature Conservation Act 2014. For specific details on the changes to trapping see page 27 of the Explanatory Statement or contact the ethics office animal.ethics@anu.edu.au
Other than the changes to trapping, the amendments do not change any of the current requirements for the use of animals for research or teaching. The media focused heavily on one section of the Amendment Bill which recognises animals (as defined by the Act) as sentient beings with intrinsic value. The research community, via the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (a mandatory code), already recognises animals as sentient beings.
The Updated Animal Welfare Act can be accessed here.
The changes to the Act have partially commenced on 17th October 2019, with the remaining changes to commence on 10th April 2020.
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