Health Services > Statewide and Community Health Services > Population Health Branch

Animal management resources and programs

Following are links to websites that can be useful when developing or enforcing local laws, developing community education programs, getting advice on animal issues, or finding funds or sponsors for projects.

Animals are an important part of our community. Many Councils across Australia are now implementing long term Animal Management Action Plans. Below are good examples of four Councils who have Animal Management Plans. These Animal Management Action Plans are very important for many reasons such as;

they provide pet owners with support, education and regulation,
they encourage best practice in animal welfare,
they encourage responsible pet ownership,
they foster harmony between non- pet owners and pet-owners and
they provide community awareness and education for all pet owners.

Other councils

AMRRIC: Animal Management in Rural and Remote Indigenous Communities

AMRRIC is a non-profit partnership that aims to raise the health standards of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people by improving the health of their animals.

To find out more about AMRRIC and subscribe to its newsletter, visit the AMRRIC website.

Drafting local laws

The Department of Local Government, Sport and Recreation has Model Local Laws for animal management. Councils need only make a few minor changes to the models before adopting these as their own local laws. Model animal management laws have been adopted by many local councils in Queensland, including Aurukun and Mornington.

Educational material

The Animal Welfare League (AWL) is a non-profit charitable organisation dedicated to the welfare of animals, particularly dogs and cats. It can provide advice and support on education programs, veterinary programs and pound management. The website has some useful educational materials which can be used for community education.

The RSPCA has an Educational Mobile Unit (EMU) that travels to schools and community centres. If the EMU can’t visit your community in the near future, ask the RSPCA about resources that you can use to educate animal owners.

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries has information on an owner’s duty of care to animals. This could be useful for advising your council on local laws and services, and for developing community education programs.