Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 5:04:24 to 5:07:59
An update on the development of the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy, including budget expenditure, consultation milestones, and the timeline for completion by 2027.
Topics: Animal welfare, Government spending
Speakers: Speaker 31, Speaker 30, Speaker 12, Speaker 9
>> Uh, yes, Senator. So, um, we've been conducting um quite broad consultation. We've released several documents um throughout calendar year 2025. Um we've uh undertaken the drafting of um a uh several chapters um one including livestock um livestock and farmed animals and uh another one around aquatic animals. We're engaging um with um stakeholders at the moment around that text. its draft text. Um, and we'll be looking to undertake further consultation throughout the remainder of this calendar year on not only those chapters but the the overarching strategy more broadly and um for other um chap animal grouping chapters um which we have underway.
>> Yeah. And could you remind me how much was the budget initially allocated to
>> uh so the department received um as part of a 2022 election commitment $5 million to develop the strategy over uh or through to um 2027.
>> And how much of that money has been
spent? >> Uh bear with me. I do have that figure.
this one.
>> No, that's financial year.
>> Uh so, Senator, in financial year 2324, our expenditure was 921,63. financial year uh 202425 1,736,378 and um so far in financial year 2526 we um have expended 575,000. >> So about 3.5 million has been spent. >> Uh I will take off sums.
>> Yeah. And is the rest enough to complete the strategy or will you need more
money? >> We will work within the funding that's available to us. Um noting that that funding is just for the development of the strategy. >> Um and then it'll be matters for government around what comes next.
>> And are you on track for completing the
strategy next year? >> Uh we believe so. Um, Senator, we've um we see this calendar year as being um a uh a big milestone for completing the draft text. Um and it's a because of the nature of animal welfare in Australia and it being a all all governments um responsibility, we've got a lot of work to do in terms of uh moving moving the agreement of the strategy through all agricultural ministers and and their um equivalents through state governments um and also working through the text uh in further consultation processes with uh a diverse range of stakeholders.
>> And what's your deadline? Is it June next year or is it December next year?
>> Uh so the um funding funding lapses um on 30 June 2027 um though some of those uh actions might uh might be completed in terms of final approve approvals in the second half of that year depending on the schedule scheduling of um of various meetings of