How to Use External Links to Help Understand the Animal Welfare Systems in Australia and New Zealand
Understanding the Australian animal welfare system can seem daunting, given there are three spheres of Government (Commonwealth, State and Territory, and Local), which all have laws that relate to animal health and welfare. To complicate matters, the States and Territories each have their own animal welfare laws. In general, these are similar but some important differences exist.
A good place to start is at the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources-Animal Welfare in Australia page, which gives an overview of the Australian animal welfare system http://www.agriculture.gov.au/animal/welfare/animal-welfare-in-australia#legislation
For more detailed information please access the other External Links provided. Government departments quite frequently change their names and the administration of laws, including those pertaining to animal health and welfare, may also be transferred to other departments. We will endeavour to keep External Links up to date but even if you reach a closed page it should redirect you to the new page.
The number of External Links is comprehensive and includes government departments and agencies that you might not immediately identify as being relevant to animal welfare. If you have time, click on these and try to identify why we have included them. For example, information on legal systems is provided because breaches of animal welfare legislation and related legislation are determined by the courts; and universities and hospitals may undertake research and teaching using animals that requires approval from Animal Ethics Committees and must comply with the Australian Code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes 8th edition (2013).