​​​The regulations made under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 provide for the protection and management of wildlife in Tasmania. Before 30 November 2021, these regulations (the 'Wildlife Regulations') comprised three complementary regulatory instruments:

• Wildlife (General) Regulations 2010
• Wildlife (Exhibited Animals) Regulations 2010
• Wildlife (Deer Farming) Regulations 2010

Activities covered by the Wildlife Regulations include possession and trading of wildlife and products of wildlife, hunting, wildlife exhibition and display, and deer farming.

It is a legal requirement that these regulations are reviewed and remade every 10 years. This requirement presented an opportunity for the Department to review the Wildlife Regulations, to improve their functioning and accommodate any emerging or future regulatory needs. The review process included consultation with industry experts, advocacy groups and the general public.​

Due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the review and remaking of the Wildlife Regulations was unlikely to be completed prior to the original expiration date of the regulations (30 November 2020). In response, the expiry date was extended by 12 months under Section 25 of the COVID-19 Disease Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020. The extension allowed for appropriate levels of stakeholder consultation to be considered in the review process. 

Rema​​​king of the regulations

The Department has now completed the review of the Wildlife (General) Regulations 2010 and Wildlife (Exhibited Animals) Regulations 2010. 

The review led to the consolidation of the two regulations under a single regulatory instrument, the Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021. The new regulations came into effect on 30 November 2021. The regulations can be viewed at the Tasmanian Government website​.

The review process for the Wildlife (Deer Farming) Regulations 2010 is ongoing due to the need for further stakeholder consultation. These regulations were rolled over as the Wildlife (Deer Farming) Regulations 2021 on 1 December 2021. No other changes will be made to these regulations until the review is completed, which will occur by the expiry date of these regulations on 1 July 2022.​

​Permit and l​icence name changes​​

​This table outlines the permit and licence name changes that have occurred with the creation of the ​Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021.

Furt​​her information

Further information can be found on the pages:

• Commerical Taxidermy Licence
• Commercial Purposes Licence
• Commercial Wildlife Traders Licence

For further information on the Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulations 2021, please contact ​Wildlife Management.

For further information on the Nature Conservation (Deer Farming) Regulations 2021 and the ongoing review process, please contact Game Services​ Tasmania.​