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The purpose of the Act is to promote responsible animal care and protection, to provide standards for animal care and use, to protect animals from cruelty and to safeguard the welfare of animals used for scientific purposes.  The Australian Code of Practice is incorporated into the legislation as the standard for animal care and use in scientific establishments.

The respondent was successful in obtaining an injunction against the appellants from publishing a film displaying possums being stunned and killed at an abattoir. The film had been obtained from a third party while trespassing. The Court found that it was not unconscionable for the appellants to publish the film and a corporation did not have a right to privacy.

The Companion Animals Act, came into effect in September 1998. The Act is designed to benefit pets, their owners and the wider community. Part two of the Act provides for the permanent identification and lifetime registration system which came into effect on 1 July 1999. This was designed to greatly assists authorities in returning lost and injured animals to their owners. It provides NSW councils with a more effective means of keeping track of dogs and cats for the benefit of the wider community. The Act also outlines the requirements when a person is the owner of a ‘controlled dog’ or dangerous breed as well as giving the courts and local councils the ability under legislation to declare a dog ‘dangerous’. The Act also covers nuisance dogs and situations where a dog attack has occurred and the civil liability of dog owners.