- Amendments to the Animal Welfare Act 2002 pass both houses of Parliament
- National standards on animal welfare to be regulated in Western Australia for the first time
- WA was the only State not to legislate any national standards
Western Australia will put national standards on animal welfare into regulation for the first time, bringing the State into line with the rest of the country.
The McGowan Government's amendments to the Animal Welfare Act 2002, allowing the national standards to be regulated, have passed both houses of Parliament.
The State Government will draft regulations enforcing each of the agreed National Standards and Guidelines, which are expected to be gazetted next year.
Industry will have an opportunity to have input into the formulation of the regulations.
The McGowan Government will now turn its focus to a broader review of the Animal Welfare Act 2002, with industry consultation on a compliance and monitoring regime for the national standards expected to begin in the second quarter of 2019.
As noted by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"These amendments are a critical step forward for the agricultural and pastoral industries in WA, bringing our animal welfare standards into line with the rest of the country.
"We need to embrace a more modern approach to animal welfare and move away from a focus on 'acts of cruelty'.
"Industry bodies have said they wanted regulations to enforce national standards to be gazetted before a new compliance and monitoring regime is introduced, a position that our Government accepted.
"However, once standards are regulated, we need a credible compliance regime to ensure long-term public support for industry; our Government will make this a priority in 2019."
