The NSW Government has now published the NSW Animal Welfare Reform – Discussion Paper to seek public feedback on new animal welfare laws for NSW.
You can access the Discussion Paper here: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/animal-welfare-discussion-paper
The Discussion Paper outlines a range of proposals, including a proposal to include cephalopods and decapod crustaceans within the definition of animal, bringing them within the scope of NSW’s animal welfare laws.
To ensure that this does not result in unintended impacts for normal fishing practices, we also propose to specify that using fish, cephalopods or decapod crustaceans for live bait fishing is not an offence.
This approach has been modelled on similar provisions in Queensland’s animal welfare laws. For further information on these proposals, see page 10 and page 18 of the Discussion Paper.
We welcome feedback from all stakeholders on the Discussion Paper, and if you would like to provide comment, you can do so by:
- emailing a written submission to animalwelfare.submissions@dpi.nsw.gov.au, or
- filling out our online survey, available here: https://forms.office.com/r/QsMuYDYwJS
Consultation on the Discussion Paper will close on 3 September 2021. Your feedback will be used to inform the drafting of new animal welfare laws.