New South Wales Consolidated Acts

COMPANION ANIMALS ACT 1998 - SECT 6B

6B Duty to provide certain information to councils

(1) If an official person has any information about:

(a) a dog that the person reasonably believes is a threat to the public, or

(b) an incident involving a dog attacking or biting, without provocation, a person or animal,

it is the duty of the official person to provide that information to the relevant council (or councils) as soon as it is reasonably practicable.

Note: The relevant council would usually be the council of the area in which the dog is ordinarily kept. However, the relevant council may also be the council of the area in which the incident concerned took place.

(2) An official person does not incur any criminal or civil liability (including liability for breaching any duty of confidentiality) for providing any such information to a council if the information is provided in good faith.

(3) In this section, "official person" means:

(a) a police officer, or

(b) an officer of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, New South Wales, or of the Animal Welfare League NSW, as referred to in paragraph (b) of the definition of "officer" in section 4 (1) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979 .