New South Wales (NSW), Australia is set to introduce the most sweeping overhaul of its animal cruelty legislation in 45 years, a reform package that introduces steep new penalties for high-risk pet care negligence, bans controversial training equipment, and cracks down on the linked criminal activity of dog fighting.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Enforcement and Operational Powers) Bill 2026 will be tabled before the NSW state parliament on Thursday, following years of extensive parliamentary inquiries, public consultation that drew more than 7,000 community submissions, and collaborative negotiations with major animal welfare groups and agricultural stakeholders. If passed, the bill will mark the most significant expansion of animal protection standards in the state since 1981, creating new illegal offences, raising outdated penalties to match modern community expectations, and closing regulatory gaps that have long hampered law enforcement action against animal abusers.
One of the most high-profile new rules establishes a clear offence for leaving dogs in dangerously overheated environments: it will be illegal to leave a dog confined in a vehicle without sufficient cooling or ventilation for longer than 10 minutes when outdoor temperatures climb above 28 degrees Celsius. The same ban applies to dogs left unsecured on the open tray of a utility vehicle under identical hot conditions. Anyone convicted of this offence will face a maximum fine of AU$44,000, one of the heaviest penalties for this form of animal neglect in the country.
Additional key animal welfare updates include a full ban on the possession and use of painful prong collars for dog training, and a new mandatory requirement that all sheep undergoing mulesing must receive appropriate pain relief, regardless of the animal’s age. The reforms also grant new operational powers to animal welfare inspectors, allowing them to administer sedation or emergency pain relief to animals experiencing immediate acute suffering, a change designed to prevent unnecessary prolonged pain during intervention operations.
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty explained that the new legislation delivers on a key election commitment made by the state’s Labor government to upgrade outdated animal protection rules. “Over the past three years, our government has pushed forward common-sense animal welfare reforms, from banning commercial puppy farms to increasing core funding for RSPCA NSW and the Animal Welfare League, to barring people convicted of animal cruelty from owning or working with animals,” Moriarty said. “This legislative update continues that work: it strengthens protections for vulnerable animals, closes loopholes that have frustrated enforcement efforts for years, and brings NSW into alignment with other Australian jurisdictions on core animal welfare standards.”
Moriarty added that the extensive co-design process with all stakeholders has produced a balanced, practical framework that reflects public values. “This broad consultation gives me confidence that the changes we are introducing are practical, enforceable, and aligned with what the community and everyday people want to see for animal welfare in our state,” she said.
A central focus of the reform package is a major crackdown on illegal dog fighting, an activity that law enforcement has repeatedly linked to broader organised criminal networks. The bill strengthens existing animal fighting offences by explicitly outlawing the manufacture, transportation, and possession of specialized equipment designed for dog fighting. It also expands the scope of prohibited activities to cover training animals for fighting, breeding or selling animals for fighting, and even attending pre-fight preparation events, activities that were previously unregulated under state law. The maximum penalty for dog fighting offences will also be increased, rising to a AU$110,000 fine, two years of imprisonment, or both penalties for convicted offenders.