Wildlife Act 1975

The Governor in Council may make regulations for the management, control, conservation, and propagation of wildlife, for the preservation and maintenance of wildlife habitat, and providing for the effective management of hunting including preserving good order among hunters of wildlife and in particular, without in any way limiting or derogating from the generality of the foregoing provisions of this section, for or with respect to—

prescribing forms for the purposes of this Act;

prescribing the procedure to be followed in making any application for the purposes of this Act or in issuing any licence or other authority or in giving any permission under this Act or the regulations;

exemptions from the requirement to hold a licence under section 22;

prescribing conditions, limitations, and restrictions to which licences, permissions, or other authorities under this Act or the regulations are to be subject;

regulating and controlling the taking of wildlife at large in an open season therefor, fixing and enforcing bag limits for any kind of wildlife and regulating the taking of protected wildlife on wildlife farms licensed under this Act;

prohibiting absolutely the taking or hunting, of any particular kind of wildlife at large and the possession keeping or control of any wildlife so taken;

prescribing open seasons and close seasons for any kind or taxon of wildlife and fixing other periods during which the hunting, killing, molesting, disturbing, possession, keeping, or control of wildlife of any kind or taxon is prohibited;

prohibiting or regulating the handling, keeping, possession, controlling, or releasing of wildlife, prescribing the conditions under which wildlife may be kept in captivity, and prescribing enclosure and cage sizes for the keeping of any kind of wildlife;

prohibiting or regulating the feeding of wildlife;

regulating the manner of processing or preparing the flesh, skin, or feathers of wildlife for sale;

requiring the marking of the skin or other portions of wildlife by any person or class of persons;

prohibiting or regulating the buying, selling, exhibiting for sale, storage, consigning or marketing of any specified wildlife or the flesh, skin, or feathers thereof and prescribing the conditions to be observed by persons buying, selling, exhibiting for sale, storing, consigning, or marketing the same;

prohibiting or regulating the use of any method, substance, gun, net, or equipment whatsoever for the taking, hunting, or killing of wildlife;

requiring the keeping of books and records by the holders of licences, authorities, and permissions under this Act or the regulations, prescribing the method of keeping such books and records and the information to be kept therein and the inspection of such books and records by authorised officers;

requiring the holders of licences, authorities, and permissions under this Act to produce for inspection at the request of an authorised officer any books or records kept pursuant to the provisions of this Act or the regulations;

the inspection or examination of wildlife for discovering disease or disorder and preventing the spread of disease or disorder in wildlife;

the licensing of bowhunters, the conduct, management, and control of bowhunting, and the fees to be paid for bowhunters' licences;

the seizure and destruction of diseased wildlife;

the control, care, protection, preservation, or improvement of sanctuaries, reserves and wildlife management co-operative areas (not on private land) established under this Act including the preservation of good order and decency therein;

regulating or prohibiting any activity or conduct by persons in or on sanctuaries, reserves and wildlife management co‑operative areas (not on private land) established under this Act, whether the activity is by persons in vessels or aircraft or in water or on land;

prohibiting or regulating the entry of persons in upon or adjacent to or the remaining of persons in, upon or adjacent to any sanctuary or reserve established under this Act or any recognized wildlife habitat, wildlife management co-operative area or specified hunting area established under this Act and not on private lands and prohibiting or regulating access thereto or travel therein by any specified means of transport;

prescribing areas of public land for the purposes of section 48A;

prohibiting or regulating camping upon any sanctuary reserve or wildlife management co-operative area (not on private land) established under this Act, the lighting of fires thereon, or doing any act likely to create a fire hazard thereon;

prescribing conditions, limitations, and restrictions for hunting in or upon any reserve or wildlife management co-operative area (not on private land) established under this Act and prohibiting or controlling the removal or cutting of plants, trees, or vegetation on any such reserve or area;

prohibiting or regulating—

the carrying, control, possession or use of any firearm, appliance or equipment; and

the control or use of dogs for hunting—

determining what circumstances give priority as between hunters to hunt and take wildlife in Victoria;

prohibiting or regulating the transfer or assignment of licences or other authorities under this Act or the regulations and prescribing fees in respect of any transfer or assignment;

requiring the furnishing of returns and information by the holders of licences under this Act or the regulations with respect to consigning, buying, selling, holding, or importing or exporting of wildlife;

prohibiting or regulating the keeping or confinement of any type or taxon of animals by persons generally or in any wildlife park, animal exhibition, or zoo;

regulating the size and construction of buildings, fences, cages, enclosures, and other means for keeping animals in confinement in a wildlife park, animal exhibition, or zoo;

prescribing the minimum quantities and standards of food and drink to be supplied to animals kept in confinement at any place in Victoria, the intervals at which such animals shall be so supplied with food and drink and prohibiting the supply of any specified food or drink to any particular animal or animals;

requiring the proper treatment of sick or disabled animals;

imposing any condition, limitation, or restriction on any licence, permit, or other authority under this Act and providing for the cancellation of any such licence, permit, or other authority for any contravention of or failure to comply with any such condition, limitation, or restrictions;

regulating or prohibiting—

any activity in the vicinity of seals that may disturb or interfere with seals;

any activity that involves observing, approaching or interacting with seals—

fees to be charged for permits under Part XA and for variations of such permits;

prohibiting or regulating the tethering or restraining of any animal being kept in confinement by the holders of licences and authorities under this Act;

the inspection by authorised officers of any wildlife park, animal exhibition, zoo, wildlife farm, or other place where wildlife is likely to be kept in confinement;

prescribing the royalties to be paid in respect of the taking of wildlife and the sale of skins, flesh, or carcasses thereof and the payment of such royalties;

fees to be charged under this Act for any purposes not expressly provided for and for services rendered by—

officers of the Department within the meaning of the Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987; or

authorised officers or staff of the Game Management Authority;

fees to be charged for permits issued under Part X and for variations of permits issued under Part X;

ballots under section 22A(4A), including fees to enter a ballot;

prescribing persons or classes of persons who are exempted from the operation of sections 41, 43, 44, 45 and 47 and conditions to which any such exemption is subject;

the keeping of records about the taking, destroying, buying, selling, acquiring, receiving, disposing of, keeping, possessing, controlling, breeding, processing, displaying, taking samples from or experimenting on wildlife by persons who are exempt from the requirement to hold a licence or authorisation under this Act to do so;

prescribing penalties not exceeding 50 penalty units for any contravention of or failure to comply with the regulations;

generally for prescribing any matter or thing which is authorized or required by this Act to be prescribed for carrying this Act into effect.

Any such regulation may be general in application or may be restricted in operation as to wildlife (whether by reference to kind or taxon or to sex), time, place, persons, equipment, hunting guns, or circumstances whether any such wildlife, time, place, persons, equipment, hunting guns, or circumstances is determined or ascertainable before at or after the making of the regulation.

In fixing fees in any such regulations, the Governor in Council may provide for all or any of the following matters—

maximum or minimum fees;

maximum and minimum fees;

the reduction, waiver or refund, in whole or in part, of the fees.

The regulations may provide in specified cases or classes of cases for the exemption of persons or things or classes of persons or things from any of the provisions of the regulations whether unconditionally or on specified conditions and either wholly or to such extent as is specified in the regulations.

Unless otherwise expressly provided the provisions of this Act and the regulations with respect to wildlife or any specified kind or taxon of wildlife shall be deemed to apply to both sexes of wildlife or to both sexes of that kind or taxon of wildlife.

Forms prescribed by the regulations or forms to the like effect shall be sufficient for the purposes of this Act or the regulations.

Regulations made under this section may be disallowed in whole or in part by resolution of either House of Parliament.

Regulations under this Act may revoke or vary any proclamation or Order made by the Governor in Council under the provisions of the Game Act 1958 or any corresponding previous enactment or any proclamation or regulation made under section 9 or 10 of the Protection of Animals Act 1966.

Regulations made under this Act may define the limits of any wildlife habitat, sanctuary, reserve, or other locality for the purposes of this Act.

Regulations made under this Act may confer a discretionary authority or impose a duty on the Minister, the Secretary, Parks Victoria, the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, the Game Management Authority, an authorised officer or a person employed under the Public Administration Act 2004 in the administration of this Act.

Regulations made under this Act may—

be of general or limited application; and

differ according to differences in time, place or circumstance; and

may apply, adopt or incorporate any matter contained in any document, code, standard, rule, specification or method formulated, issued, prescribed or published by any person, whether—

wholly or partially or as amended by the regulations; or

as formulated, issued, prescribed or published at the time the regulations are made or at any time before then; or

as formulated, issued, prescribed or published from time to time.

Any regulations made under this section for or with respect to the issuing of film permits must not be inconsistent with the film friendly principles.