Get involved

Learn more about what we’ve heard so far and how to stay involved. Keep checking this page for updates as the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS) is developed.

APS principles for partnership and engagement

The Australian Public Service (APS) is expected to meet certain standards for engagement and participation.

The consultation process through to 2027 will be consistent with the APS Charter of Partnerships and Engagement. This will include being clear about how information and views will be used, providing opportunities for diverse voices to be heard, and ensuring that decision making is underpinned by science and evidence.

There is a comprehensive governance structure responsible for the AAWS renewal, with final oversight by Australia’s Agriculture Ministers, through the Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting (AMM).

The first round of consultation

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry conducted a first round of consultation on the renewal of the AAWS from 8 March 2024 to 8 July 2024.

Feedback received through this first round of consultation is helping to shape the development of the AAWS.

This first consultation included the release of a discussion paper through the department’s Have Your Say platform, which was open for input from 8 March to 30 June 2024.

The Have Your Say invited input through both survey and submissions, and was open to all Australians to share views and insights on the following aspects of the renewed AAWS:

• vision for the strategy
• work streams
• challenges and opportunities for animal welfare in Australia.

As part of the consultation process, the department held meetings with a broad range of stakeholders from across the animal welfare system.

The department also commissioned a series of focus groups and interviews. These sought learnings from individuals involved in the lapsed AAWS, and input from key stakeholders on the renewal of the AAWS and development of a National Statement on Animal Welfare, which will underpin the renewed AAWS.

The second round of consultation

A second round of consultation on the renewal of the AAWS opened on 17 March 2025 through the department’s Have Your Say platform and closed on Monday 14 April 2025.

We sought feedback on whether the actions identified under the previous AAWS remain important for a renewed, modern and future-focused AAWS.

Input to this second round of public consultation will help us identify:

• how important the action is for inclusion in the animal group chapters of the renewed strategy, or
• whether the action is no longer relevant to the current animal welfare landscape.

We will publish a summary of views received on this page and the department’s Have Your Say page.

Consultation during 2025 is focused on the development of the animal group chapters, which will outline the practical actions needed for meaningful improvements in Australia’s animal welfare system.

To help inform this work, we are undertaking a stocktake of priority areas for action for animal welfare identified through the previous strategy, which lapsed in 2014. This supports our objective to build on successes of the lapsed strategy, while reflecting contemporary animal welfare science and evidence and recognising modern challenges and opportunities.

Upcoming consultation opportunities

The AAWS will be developed and released in chapters from 2025 to 2027. Each chapter will focus on identifying practical actions for a specific animal group, ensuring detailed and focused discussions. Read more about the 6 animal groups and the parameters for each chapter.

Practical actions will be mapped against the workstreams identified during the first round of consultation.

Consultation will be ongoing. We will test insights and priorities throughout the development process from 2024 – 2027. 

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