Animal exhibition regulations modernised and simplified

Magicians, zoos, circuses and other travelling animal exhibits are preparing to take a step forward with new laws supporting their businesses commencing 1 July 2016.

Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries Leanne Donaldson said the new Exhibited Animals Regulations approved today replaced an outdated system.

“Animal exhibition in Queensland is a large industry providing unique experiences for hundreds of thousands of people every year,” Minister Donaldson said.

“The big win for exhibitors is that the new Act will replace six licensing schemes and parts of four existing Acts with a single scheme under a single piece of legislation.

“Queensland based operators who currently require multiple licences will be able to operate under a single licence for the first time.

“Importantly, the new Act will better manage the risks to the welfare of exhibited animals, animals escaping and becoming pests, spreading disease or injuring people.”

Minister Donaldson said modernising and streamlining the legislation would greatly simplify the regulatory burden on exhibitors.

“A risk-based framework will allow exhibitors to choose how best to look after their animals and manage safety and biosecurity risks.

“The new legislation will also allow exhibitors to exhibit some new animal species not previously permitted, provided they can demonstrate that they can manage the risks.

“My department has consulted widely during the development of this legislation including numerous face-to-face meetings.

“It was clear that smaller businesses felt they shouldn’t have to pay as much for their licenses as the large zoos and circuses, so we’ve created a fee structure that takes into account the size of a business and the level of risk associated with its operation.

“Importantly, the new framework will better manage the risk of exhibited animals escaping and becoming pests or injuring people, through monitoring and allowing exhibitors to choose the risk management approach best suited to their particular situation.

“My department will provide guidance for exhibitors as we transition to the new laws including showing people how to develop management plans.

“This is a landmark overhaul of legislation for Queensland that will foster world-class wildlife experiences for tourists and the community for many years to come.”

For more information on the Exhibited Animals Act 2015, contact Biosecurity Queensland on 13 25 23.

Exhibited Animals Act (EAA) case studies

A single licence fee under the EAA will mean that operators will no longer be required to apply for multiple licences and therefore have to pay multiple licensing fees. Licence fees are generally based on the number of full-time employees the business employs to better reflect the scale and complexity of the operation in meeting the welfare, safety and biosecurity risks of the exhibited animals.

Case 1

A small wildlife exhibitor with fewer than 3 employees and displaying only native species will pay $1584 under the Exhibited Animals Act 2015 (EAA) replacing the current $2288 fee under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (NCA) for the renewal of a licence for 3 years.

However, the cost of amending a licence to add new species or change the way that a display animal is managed will increase under the EAA to reflect the true cost of assessing and issuing the licence and will depend on the type of amendment. A minor amendment to add a similar species to what the licence holder currently keeps and where the risks are the same and will be managed in the same way will cost $151. This lower fee reflects that these types of minor amendments generally require less time required to assess the application to ensure it meets the welfare, safety and biosecurity standards required. To add a new species to a licence will cost $453. This is because the time taken to assess the risks and the way a new species will be managed is substantially longer than for a minor amendment.  

Case 2

A large zoo with more than 15 employees will pay $3773 under the EAA to renew their licence for three years. Large zoos normally hold both native and exotic species and under the NCA and Land Protection (Pest and Stock Route Management) Act 2002 (LPA) the same three year licence would cost $3809. A new licence applicant with more than 15 employees will pay substantially more ($7547) as this reflects the resources required to assess all the management plans associated with the risks to animal welfare, safety and biosecurity standards for a wide variety of native and exotic species.

Case 3

An operator applying for a licence to exhibit a rabbit as a magician will pay $301 under the EAA rather than the current rate of $132 under the LPA.

To renew a licence under the EAA a magician will pay $151 similar to the current fee for a licence renewal under the LPA which costs $132.

ENDS

Note to editors. A full schedule of the new fees is attached.

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