{"id":"BILL-WA-0267E3C49F8D5B6448258DA800209A4F","name":"Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026","slug":"cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026","collection":"bill","jurisdiction":"wa","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":"2026-02-25","administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":446159,"registerId":"BILL-WA-0267E3C49F8D5B6448258DA800209A4F:current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-02-25","status":"in_force","reasons":null,"registeredAt":"2026-05-08T16:47:33.120Z"},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"retrieval-0001","sectionType":"document_chunk","heading":"Document excerpt 1","content":"# Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026\n\n53—1 page i\nWestern Australia\nCat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026\nContents\n1. Short title 2\n2. Commencement 2\n3. Act amended 2\n4. Section 79 amended 2\n\npage 1\nWestern Australia\nLEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY\nCat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026\nA Bill for\nAn Act to amend the Cat Act 2011.\nThe Parliament of Western Australia enacts as follows:\n\nCat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026\ns. 1\npage 2\n1. Short title1\nThis is the Cat Amendment (Local Laws) Act 2026.2\n2. Commencement3\nThis Act comes into operation as follows —4\n(a) sections 1 and 2 — on the day on which this Act5\nreceives the Royal Assent;6\n(b) the rest of the Act — on the day after that day.7\n3. Act amended8\nThis Act amends the Cat Act 2011.9\n4. Section 79 amended10\n(1) Delete section 79(3)(f) and insert:11\n12\n(f) the prohibition of cats from places, whether13\nabsolutely or otherwise;14\n15\n(2) After section 79(3) insert:16\n17\n(4) Without limiting subsection (3)(f) or the Interpretation18\nAct 1984 section 43(7) or (8), a local law made for the19\npurposes of subsection (3)(f) may —20\n(a) prohibit a cat from being in a place, including21\nprohibiting a cat from being in —22\n(i) any or all public places; or23\n(ii) any place other than the premises at24\nwhich the cat is ordinarily kept;25\nand26\n\nCat Amendment (Local Laws) Bill 2026\ns. 4\npage 3\n(b) provide that a prohibition —1\n(i) applies or does not apply during certain2\ntimes of day or year or during certain3\nevents; or4\n(ii) does not apply to a place within the5\notherwise prohibited area; or6\n(iii) does not apply if certain conditions are7\nmet, including that the cat is under the8\neffective control of a person or is9\ncontained;10\nand11\n(c) provide what constitutes a cat being under the12\neffective control of a person, or being13\ncontained, for the purposes of the local law.14\nExamples for this subsection:15\n1. A local law may prohibit a cat from being in all public places16\nbetween the hours of 7 pm and 5 am.17\n2. A local law may prohibit a cat from being in a specified park.18\n3. A local law may prohibit a cat from being in any place other19\nthan the premises at which the cat is ordinarily kept,20\nunless —21\n(a) the cat is being transported to, or is at, veterinary22\npremises; and23\n(b) the cat is contained, or under the effective control of24\na person.25\n26","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The amendment broadens and clarifies the scope of local government powers under section 79 of the Cat Act. Previously the Act included a more limited or differently worded provision at s.79(3)(f); this Bill replaces that paragraph and adds an express, wider power for local laws to prohibit cats from specific places (including all public places or anywhere other than a cat’s ordinary premises) and to specify time-based applications and exceptions. That is an expansion of local regulatory reach: councils may now create place-based bans and define operational terms (such as what counts as being under effective control) within their own local laws, increasing the range of circumstances in which a cat’s movements may be lawfully restricted."},"complexity_factors":["Very short instrument (3 pages) amending one section of the Cat Act 2011","Adds a single new subsection (4) with three main paragraphs (a), (b), (c)","Contains conditional drafting choices (times, places, exceptions) but no layered exceptions‑to‑exceptions","Includes examples but no new defined terms; relies on local laws to define key concepts (effective control, contained)","Cross-reference to the Interpretation Act 1984 s.43(7)–(8) increases interpretive dependency on external statute"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this Bill changes (mechanically)\n\n- Replaces and expands one paragraph of the Cat Act 2011 (section 79(3)(f)) and adds a new subsection (4) to that section (see s.4 of the Bill).\n- The change makes explicit that a local law may prohibit cats from particular places (either absolutely or with limits).\n- It expressly allows local laws to:  \n  - ban cats from any or all public places or from anywhere except the cat’s usual premises;  \n  - make those bans apply only at certain times (times of day, seasons, or events), carve out particular places inside a prohibited area, or provide exceptions where conditions are met (for example, the cat is under effective control or is contained); and  \n  - define, within the local law, what “effective control” or “contained” means for enforcement.  \n- The Bill adds three short examples to illustrate how a local law might look (night-time bans in public places; a ban for a specified park; an all-places ban with exceptions for veterinary visits when the cat is contained or under control).\n\nWho this affects\n\n- Cat owners and people who care for or transport cats: they may face new limits on where and when their cats can be.  \n- Local governments (councils): they gain clearer legal authority and discretion to draft and enforce place-based limits on cats.  \n- Enforcement officers, vets, boarding facilities and pet-related businesses: changes in access or transport rules will affect day-to-day operations and possibly demand for containment products.\n\nWhy it matters (stated purpose and immediate implications)\n\n- The Bill expands the express powers of local governments to control where cats may roam. The stated or obvious policy purpose is to let local laws limit cat presence in places and to allow councils to specify conditions and definitions governing exceptions. That objective is achieved mechanically by adding the permissive language and by allowing councils to define terms like “effective control” and “contained” in their own local laws (s.4(1)–(2)).\n\nTesting the Bill against costs, incentives and trade-offs\n\n- Who pays: Cat owners bear the direct compliance costs (keeping cats contained, using leashes or enclosures, altering routines). Local governments absorb drafting and enforcement costs (policy development, signage, patrols, complaint handling). Businesses that provide containment solutions may see increased demand; boarding/kennel businesses or veterinary clinics may see increased traffic or paperwork.\n- Who decides: Local councils decide which places are restricted, when bans apply, the exceptions, and the technical definitions that determine enforceability (s.4(2)(b)–(c)). That transfers substantive regulatory choice from state-level detail into many local instruments.\n- Behaviour changes: Owners are likely to keep cats indoors or under control in more places or at specified times; some owners may move, stop owning cats, or seek containment products or services.\n- Compliance burden and enforceability: The Bill lets councils define “effective control” and “contained”, but does not set a uniform standard. That creates administrative work for councils drafting clear definitions, and practical enforcement challenges for officers who must judge whether a cat is “under effective control” in the field.\n- Regulatory variation and information costs: Because councils will choose different restrictions and definitions, there is a risk of a patchwork of rules across neighbouring areas. That raises information costs for owners who travel with cats between council areas and increases the chance of accidental non‑compliance.\n- Opportunity costs and crowding of local government resources: Councils choosing to adopt detailed cat-restriction laws will divert officer time and budget to consultation, signage and enforcement instead of other local priorities.\n- Legal clarity vs discretion: The Bill increases local discretion to tailor rules to local circumstances (benefit), but by leaving key terms for local definition it also creates legal uncertainty and potential litigious disputes over what constitutes “effective control” or “contained”. The Bill cross-references the Interpretation Act 1984 (s.4(2)), which may affect how exemptions are read, but the substantive standards remain for local law drafters.\n\nConcrete implementation risks and administrative notes\n\n- Enforcement evidence: proving non‑compliance may rely on subjective officer assessments (was the cat under control? contained?) unless councils adopt clear objective criteria (e.g. leash length, certified enclosures).  \n- Inconsistent penalties and remedies: The Bill does not prescribe penalties or enforcement mechanisms; those will be established by individual local laws, producing variation in sanctions and enforcement practice.  \n- Interaction with other laws: Local definitions must align with existing Cat Act definitions and the Interpretation Act; drafters will need legal advice to avoid conflict or unintended gaps.\n\nNet effect in plain terms\n\n- The Bill gives local councils explicit and broad power to make place- and time-based bans on cats, to set exceptions, and to define what counts as control or containment (s.4). That centralises the decision-making about where cats may roam at the local-government level, increases the compliance burden on cat owners where councils adopt restrictions, and shifts drafting and enforcement costs to councils. It also creates scope for different local rules across the state, with the attendant information, enforcement and legal clarity risks.\n"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026","history":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026/history","analysis":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/cat-amendment-local-laws-bill-2026/documents"}}