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Commonwealth bill
What the bill does, in plain English
The bill adds greyhounds to the lists of animals that Customs is not allowed to take out of, or bring into, Australia for racing, breeding or other commercial purposes. It does this by amending two existing sets of Customs regulations: the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 and the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.
Mechanically, that means Customs officers will have the regulatory backing to seize, detain and refuse clearance for greyhounds that are being exported or imported where the purpose is racing, breeding, or other commercial activity (rather than, for example, a private pet movement). The prohibition operates through the existing Customs regulatory framework for “prohibited exports” and “prohibited imports.”
Who is affected
Why it matters (mechanics and incentives)
The stated purpose, as set out in the bill’s explanatory material, is to stop Australia being the origin or destination for cross‑border commercial trade in racing greyhounds. That is a narrow regulatory change: it does not, on its face, ban private or non‑commercial movement of pet greyhounds unless the movement is captured by the commercial definitions in the regulations.
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View on official registerSourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.
Summary
Amends the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 and Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 to prohibit the export and import of greyhounds for racing, breeding and commercial purposes.
Progress
Senate
Introduced and read a first time
01 Sep 2021
Second reading moved
01 Sep 2021
Lapsed at end of Parliament
25 Jul 2022
Restored to Notice Paper
27 Jul 2022
Lapsed at end of Parliament
21 Jul 2025
Restored to Notice Paper
23 Jul 2025
Documents and transcripts
Text of bill
First reading
Explanatory memoranda
Explanatory memorandum
Transcript of speeches
All second reading speeches
Private Senator's introductory speech
Proposed amendments
No proposed amendments have been circulated.
Schedules of amendments
No documents at present Notes
Considered by scrutiny committee (07/09/2022): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 4 of 2022
Referred to Committee (11/05/2023): Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Committee report (19/10/2023)
Who pays: the direct compliance costs fall on those who commercially export or import greyhounds (breeders, owners, transporters). Indirectly, enforcement costs fall on Customs (departmental resourcing) and potentially on other agencies (quarantine, if coordination is required).
What changes about behaviour: commercial actors will need to stop or reroute business that relied on international sale or supply of racing/breeding greyhounds. Some operators may try to restructure transactions to claim private (non‑commercial) status, or use informal/unauthorised channels, shifting activity out of regulated supply chains.
Key implementation points to watch
Definitions and evidentiary standard: enforcement depends on how the regulations and Customs interpret “for racing, breeding and commercial purposes” — whether intent must be proved, what documents prove commercial intent (sales contracts, promotional material, transport invoices), and how “commercial” differs from a private sale.
Interaction with other laws and agencies: the prohibition sits alongside quarantine, biosecurity and animal welfare regimes. Practical enforcement may require information‑sharing and coordination between Customs, the Department of Agriculture (biosecurity), and state/territory animal welfare agencies.
Compliance and avoidance risks: narrow prohibitions can create incentives to relabel transactions as non‑commercial, to move animals through countries with weaker checks, or to attempt illegal movement, which could raise enforcement costs and require new investigative resources.
Relation between mechanics and claimed purpose
The bill provides Customs the regulatory tool to cut off legal international commercial channels for racing/breeding greyhounds. That is a direct mechanism for reducing cross‑border commercial trade in such animals.
Costs and trade‑offs include: compliance costs for legitimate businesses; the administrative burden on border agencies to identify and screen consignments; the potential displacement of trade into illicit channels; and possible legal disputes about classification of movements.
(References: amends Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 and Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956; explanatory memorandum accompanying the bill.)