A four month long consultation period will commence today to support strengthening animal welfare legislation in the Territory.
The Northern Territory (NT) Government is putting forward a number of proposed legislation amendments following a requirement to review the Animal Protection Act 2018 (the Act), which has now been in operation for over 12 months.
Animal welfare is a priority and over recent years, we have been conducting several reforms to strengthen legislation and ensure sufficient measures are in place to safeguard the well-being of all animals in the Territory.
The NT Government is seeking feedback from Territorians on the existing legislation and regulations, to ensure objectives are been achieved.
The primary objectives of the Act is:
to ensure that animals are treated humanelyto prevent cruelty to animalsto promote community awareness about responsibilities and legal obligations associated with the care and protection of animalsto regulate the activities of persons who use animals for scientific purposes
The existing Act and Regulations are available online at:
Animal Protection Act 2018 (NT)
Animal Regulations 2022 (NT)
The extended period for consultation is to allow community members to consider the proposed changes, put forward their opinions and views and join the conversation on how best to strengthen our legislation.
The formal consultation period is for 4 months, with submissions to close at 6:00pm Friday, 20 September 2024.
Read the discussion paper here –
