ANIMAL CARE AND PROTECTION ACT 2001 - SECT 215A
Protection from liability for giving information
ANIMAL CARE AND PROTECTION ACT 2001 - SECT 215A
Protection from liability for giving information
215A Protection from liability for giving information
(1) This section applies if a person, acting honestly and in good faith, gives
an inspector information the person reasonably believes may help with an
investigation of an animal welfare offence.
Example—
Acting in good faith
may include a person choosing a time and a place to give the information to an
inspector to avoid other people overhearing the information.
(2) The person
is not liable, civilly, criminally or under an administrative process, for
giving the information.
(3) Also, merely because the person gives the
information, the person can not be held to have—
(a) breached any code of
professional etiquette or ethics; or
(b) departed from accepted standards of
professional conduct.
(4) Without limiting subsections (2) and (3) —
(a) in
a proceeding for defamation, the person has a defence of absolute privilege
for publishing the information; and
(b) if the person would otherwise be
required to maintain confidentiality about the information under an Act, oath
or rule of law or practice, the person—
(i) does not contravene the Act ,
oath or rule of law or practice by giving the information; and
(ii) is not
liable to disciplinary action for giving the information.
