❓ A WA parliamentary question on notice regarding reptile keeping regulations, comparing them to bird keeping policies and questioning the justification for higher license fees for advanced reptile keepers. The Minister's response defends the current reptile keeping regulations, highlighting the risks of escaped reptiles and the need for stricter controls due to the relative newness of the hobby.
AnsweredQoN 7604Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Further to the Minister's answer to Question on Notice 6794 regarding reptile keeping in Western Australia, I ask:
(a) will the Minister table any information of kept reptiles affecting wild populations within Western Australia, and if not, why not;
(b) can the Minister please advise why Government policy for reptile keeping in Western Australia differs to that for the Bird keeping system;
(c) is the different policy approach to bird and reptile keeping founded on either science or evidence;
(d) is the Minister aware that bird keepers in Western Australia can also keep exotic and non-endemic Western Australia bird species that have just as much chance of escape as reptiles;
(e) can the Minister please explain in detail what extra work is required for the category 5 keepers to justify a 750 per cent increase in licence costs than that of a category 3 reptile licence holder for 1 year;
(f) can the minister please explain in detail what extra work is required for the category 4 keepers to justify a 120 per cent increase in licence costs than that of a category 3 reptile licence holder for 1 year; and
(g) is the Minister aware that the Queensland Government charges a minimal fee of $55 for 5 years and still manages a larger keeper population and selection of animals allowed to be kept?
(a) will the Minister table any information of kept reptiles affecting wild populations within Western Australia, and if not, why not;
(b) can the Minister please advise why Government policy for reptile keeping in Western Australia differs to that for the Bird keeping system;
(c) is the different policy approach to bird and reptile keeping founded on either science or evidence;
(d) is the Minister aware that bird keepers in Western Australia can also keep exotic and non-endemic Western Australia bird species that have just as much chance of escape as reptiles;
(e) can the Minister please explain in detail what extra work is required for the category 5 keepers to justify a 750 per cent increase in licence costs than that of a category 3 reptile licence holder for 1 year;
(f) can the minister please explain in detail what extra work is required for the category 4 keepers to justify a 120 per cent increase in licence costs than that of a category 3 reptile licence holder for 1 year; and
(g) is the Minister aware that the Queensland Government charges a minimal fee of $55 for 5 years and still manages a larger keeper population and selection of animals allowed to be kept?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
1 May 2012
Responded by
Minister for Environment
Response time
34 days
(a) The fact that reptile species kept as pets in Western Australia have not become established in the wild is considered to be related to such keeping being sufficiently well regulated. Escaped pet reptiles are regularly reported to the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), with 46 such reports since January 2010 in the metropolitan area. There are numerous examples of exotic birds, reptiles and fish having become established in the wild around the world, with adverse environmental, social and economic impacts. There is a high risk that diseases established in captive species in other jurisdictions could be transferred to wild populations in Western Australia in the absence of adequate keeping controls.
(b)-(c) Aviculture has been a well-established hobby for many decades, nevertheless there are difficulties in ensuring that birds are obtained from legitimate sources and not from the wild. As reptile and amphibian keeping in Western Australia is relatively new, having been introduced in 2002, the opportunity to establish an improved, best practice licensing regime was available.
(d) Yes. I am also aware of the damage caused by species such as rainbow lorikeets and corellas that originated from captive collections. The illegal taking, trafficking and escapes that have occurred in aviculture should not be repeated for reptiles.
(e) The difference in fees between a one-year category 3 licence and a one-year category 5 licence is $260. Category 5 is the most advanced level of licence and the keeper must demonstrate significant experience, skills and ability with pet reptiles that are dangerous, have highly specialised feeding and housing requirements and are difficult to keep in captivity. A category 3 keeper can keep animals that are not dangerous, common in the wild, eat more readily, require simple housing and are more resilient. The higher fee reflects the increased level of interaction with DEC staff in assessing a category 5 keeper's skills and experience, as well as in licensing, administering and monitoring their activities.
(f) A category 4 keeper can keep reptiles that are not commonly kept, have specialised feeding requirements, are not resilient to handling and are rare, compared with a category 3 keeper who keeps animals that are not dangerous, that are common in the wild, eat more readily, require simple housing and are more resilient. The higher fee reflects the increased level of interaction with DEC staff in assessing a category 4 keeper's skills and experience, as well as in licensing, administering and monitoring their activities.
(g) The relevant Queensland agency has charges applying from 1 August 2011 of $64.05 for a recreational wildlife licence for animals, including some reptiles, for up to five years with an additional fee of $6.85 for a mandatory record book ($70.90) and a further fee of $192.40 for restricted animals. There are also additional fees per animal kept applying to some species, including green pythons, for the use of approved electromagnetic implants of $14.40 and tissue sampling of $27.80.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
(b)-(c) Aviculture has been a well-established hobby for many decades, nevertheless there are difficulties in ensuring that birds are obtained from legitimate sources and not from the wild. As reptile and amphibian keeping in Western Australia is relatively new, having been introduced in 2002, the opportunity to establish an improved, best practice licensing regime was available.
(d) Yes. I am also aware of the damage caused by species such as rainbow lorikeets and corellas that originated from captive collections. The illegal taking, trafficking and escapes that have occurred in aviculture should not be repeated for reptiles.
(e) The difference in fees between a one-year category 3 licence and a one-year category 5 licence is $260. Category 5 is the most advanced level of licence and the keeper must demonstrate significant experience, skills and ability with pet reptiles that are dangerous, have highly specialised feeding and housing requirements and are difficult to keep in captivity. A category 3 keeper can keep animals that are not dangerous, common in the wild, eat more readily, require simple housing and are more resilient. The higher fee reflects the increased level of interaction with DEC staff in assessing a category 5 keeper's skills and experience, as well as in licensing, administering and monitoring their activities.
(f) A category 4 keeper can keep reptiles that are not commonly kept, have specialised feeding requirements, are not resilient to handling and are rare, compared with a category 3 keeper who keeps animals that are not dangerous, that are common in the wild, eat more readily, require simple housing and are more resilient. The higher fee reflects the increased level of interaction with DEC staff in assessing a category 4 keeper's skills and experience, as well as in licensing, administering and monitoring their activities.
(g) The relevant Queensland agency has charges applying from 1 August 2011 of $64.05 for a recreational wildlife licence for animals, including some reptiles, for up to five years with an additional fee of $6.85 for a mandatory record book ($70.90) and a further fee of $192.40 for restricted animals. There are also additional fees per animal kept applying to some species, including green pythons, for the use of approved electromagnetic implants of $14.40 and tissue sampling of $27.80.
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.