Review of the NSW Companion Animals Laws

What’s this about?

The NSW Government committed to review the Companion Animals Act 1998 (CA Act). The CA Act legislates the identification and registration requirements of companion animals and the duties and responsibilities of their owners, with the principal object being to ‘provide for the effective and appropriate care and management of companion animals’. The NSW Government aims to achieve this primarily through encouraging responsible ownership of companion animals.

The objective of this review is to ensure the legislation effectively enhances responsible pet ownership across NSW, ensuring the wellbeing of pets and the safety of our communities.

As part of this review, the Office of Local Government is gathering feedback on the emerging trends and issues related to the care and management of companion animals in NSW.

Many households, communities, and institutions across NSW play a key role in animal management and ownership and all are encouraged to make a submission.

Download the discussion paper

• Review of the Companion Animals Act 1998 - Discussion Paper.pdf

Have your say

Have your say by 11:59pm on Sunday 4 May 2025.

There are 3 ways to submit your feedback.

For email submissions please use Companion Animals Act Review in the subject line. If you are attaching a completed feedback form, please ensure it is attached in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format.