The Australian Alliance for Animals has welcomed the introduction of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Enforcement and Operational Powers) Bill 2026 into the NSW Parliament, while expressing disappointment that the reforms fall well short of the NSW Government’s commitment to modernise the state’s outdated animal welfare laws.
The proposed amendments introduce a number of sensible enforcement and operational improvements to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, including refinements to existing offences and compliance powers. However, the legislation does not replace the nearly 50-year-old Act with a new contemporary animal welfare framework, as promised by NSW Labor prior to the 2023 election.
Alliance Policy Director Dr Jed Goodfellow said the reforms represented a missed opportunity for more meaningful change.
While we support measures that strengthen enforcement and improve the operation of the existing Act, these amendments do not deliver the comprehensive modernisation that was promised to the NSW community,” Dr Goodfellow said.
NSW still has the oldest animal welfare legislation in Australia. The community expects animal welfare laws that reflect contemporary science, modern community values, and current understanding of animal sentience and welfare.”
The Alliance noted that animal welfare reform has been the subject of extensive consultation processes over many years, with strong engagement from community members, animal welfare organisations, industry stakeholders and experts.
Over 7,000 submissions were made to previous consultations processes aimed at delivering a new Animal Welfare Act for NSW, yet it now appears this work has simply been shelved,” Dr Goodfellow said.
There is overwhelming public support for stronger animal welfare protections in NSW. People want laws that move beyond simply prohibiting cruelty and instead establish clear, modern standards for the care and treatment of animals.”
The Alliance said key reforms still absent from NSW law include recognition of animal sentience and a modern duty of care framework placing proactive obligations on people responsible for animals.
We remain hopeful that the NSW Government will continue the reform process and build on these amendments to deliver the modern animal welfare framework it committed to introducing,” Dr Goodfellow said.