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Animal Ethics

The Queensland Schools Animal Ethics Committee (QSAEC) was established by the chief executive officers of Education Queensland (EQ), the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC) External Link and Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ) External Link to assist Queensland schools to meet their legal obligations under the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 Adobe PDF document External Link ('the Act'). In particular section 91 of the act requires that schools obtain ethical approval for relevant animal use activities.

The QSAEC is also required to ensure that schools comply with Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes 7th edition, 2004 ('the Code') External Link.

Animal use in Queensland schools

Most school activities involving animals require approval from the QSAEC because educational activities are generally considered for be for 'scientific purposes'.
All schools must consider the 3 Rs of animal welfare:

These principles must be applied to all activities and should drive decision making in the classroom and within the school. As a general principle, animals should not be used unless there are no suitable alternatives for achieving the educational objectives.

The QSAEC flowchart Microsoft® Word document 195k is designed to assist schools in navigating the application and reporting process.

Categories of activities Microsoft® Word document 87k have been developed to support best practice in animal use activities.

Contact us if you require further information regarding these downloadable documents.

The Animal Use in Queensland State Schools External Link procedure outlines the responsibilities that principals and other school staff have for animal use in schools.

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This page was last reviewed on 28 Nov 2012

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