What are the requirements for animal use in Queensland?

Definition of 'animal'

Under the Queensland Animal Care and Protection Act 2001, an animal is any live vertebrate including:

Animals also include live pre-natal or pre-hatched creatures in the last half of gestation, e.g. a mammalian or reptilian foetus, pre-hatched avian, mammalian or reptilian young and live marsupial young.  Cephalopod invertebrates such as octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus are also included as animals.  However a human being or human foetus is not an animal, nor are the eggs, spat or spawn of fish.

Unlawful activities

There are certain animal use activities that are unlawful in Queensland and require special approval from the DPI&F Director-General. These relate to skin irritancy tests such as the Draize test, lethal dose toxicity tests such as LD50 and using animals to test cosmetics or sunscreens.

The following is a bullet point summary of what you need to do if you wish to use animals for scientific purposes anywhere in Queensland

• Persons (individuals or corporations) must apply to register with the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) and pay a registration fee.  A licence is issued for a three-year period.  Non-refundable fees are:
  • $293.37 for a school or school body
  • $601.43 for an individual or corporation with less than 10 employees
  • $902.74 for a corporation with 10-50 employees
  • $1202.92 for a corporation with more than 50 employees
• Individuals (employees, students, contractors etc) employed retained or engaged by a registered person do not have to register separately as they are covered by the legal entity's registration.
• If an interstate or overseas researcher is working in collaboration with a local registrant, he/she can be covered by that registration.  Consultants must be either registered or engaged by a registered person.
• Each 'registered person' must nominate the animal ethics committee (AEC) that will assess their activities and also provide the terms of reference of that AEC to DPI&F. The AEC must be constituted under the Code but does not need to be based in Queensland.  Queensland has a mutual recognition policy with other states and territories and recognises AECs from other jurisdictions provided they are constituted under the Code and the terms of reference have been approved by DPI&F.
• The applicant must provide the details of AEC membership, the name and contact details for the Chairperson of the AEC and the person to whom the AEC Chairperson reports.
• The applicant must state whether there have been any disqualifying events (eg animal welfare offences) in relation to the applicant, executive officers or any member of the AEC.
• The DPI&F considers the application and checks the terms of reference and membership of the AEC and can ask for any additional information to decide the application.
• The fee is paid and registration is granted for a 3 year period.
• Conditions can be imposed on the registrant, eg notify DPI&F of a change in AEC membership.
• A public register is maintained of all registrants and their AECs.
• All registrants must report to the DPI&F annually on animal use statistics.
• DPI&F has the power to investigate and/or terminate any activity in breach of the Code or Act.
• Registration can be cancelled or suspended if there is blatant non-compliance with the Act or the Code.
• Registrants and their AECs are subject to a triennial review to ensure compliance with the Act and the Code. Reviews are carried out by DPI&F Authorised Officers appointed and trained under the Act, and assisted by independent community AEC 'C' members.  There is no charge for the audits.
• Interstate institutions and AECs will not be reviewed as DPI&F will accept the review system of another jurisdiction provided it is carried out according to the NHMRC guidelines.

Does Queensland have a code of practice for the use of animals from pounds or shelters for scientific purposes?

No.

Under Queensland's Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 (ACPA) , there is no distinction made between animals used from shelters, pounds, or those used from other sources.

It is a compulsory requirement under the ACPA that all users of animals for scientific purposes and their animal ethics committees be registered in Queensland with DPI&F and comply with the current edition of the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (Scientific Use Code).

You are required to submit a proposal to use the animals in Queensland as per S3.1.3 of the Scientific Use Code, comply with any requirements of the AEC relating to the approved use and conduct the work as approved in compliance with the Scientific Use Code.

There is no requirement under the ACPA for compliance with codes used in some other states relating to pounds or shelter animals (e.g. Code of Practice for the Use of Animals from Municipal Pounds in Scientific Procedures 2002 [Vic]).

What are the requirements for animal use in other Australian states and territories?

If you wish to carry out scientific animal use in another Australian state or territory, you will need to comply with the relevant legislation for that state or territory.

The NSW Agriculture Animal Ethics Infolink website provides details of the requriements in the other states and territories of Australia.

Last updated 5 November 2008