Permissions

Permits and licences are powerful regulatory tools for preventing harm to wildlife and forest values. We achieve this through effectively assessing applications, applying appropriate conditions, educating permit and licence holders on how to comply, monitoring compliance and taking enforcement action where appropriate.

In 2024–2025 we published guidance for Wildlife Demonstrator Licence holders on how to comply with their conditions. Further information on this guide is below. This continues to build the Conservation Regulator’s suite of external guidance for our permissions holders on compliance with the law.

Use of our online forms has continued to increase, streamlining the application experience for users, proving to be a valuable tool to streamline applications, and strengthen our ability to uphold our statutory obligations and prevent harm. In 2024–2025, 88 per cent of applicants applied for licences through our online system, further bolstering the value of the online digital platform.

Each year, licence holders must submit an Annual Return form to the Conservation Regulator which details any changes to their collections, including if animals have been acquired, traded, or have died. This data helps us to understand what wildlife is being held and monitor any trends, such as high death rates or concentrations of dangerous species, such as venomous snakes.

The Conservation Regulator also published new forms in 2024–2025 that make it easier for Commercial Wildlife Licence holders to keep up to date with their employee registration obligations. We also provided Wildlife Dealer Licence holders information to help them educate customers on the responsibility of purchasing wildlife prior to Christmas 2024, to help everyone understand their obligations and how to care for wildlife lawfully. More information on this engagement is below.

There are many different types of licences and permits issued by the Conservation Regulator, which help ensure safe, legal, and ethical interactions between people and native wildlife.

Permissions we are responsible for include

Authority to Control Wildlife

Allows landholders and land managers who have issues with wildlife causing damage to buildings, pastures, crops, or other property, or which pose risks to human health and safety, to manage these problems.

An authority may include permission for lethal and non-lethal control methods.

Commercial Wildlife Licence

Allows for the commercial use of wildlife, including selling wildlife in pet shops, keeping wildlife in zoos, as well as taxidermy and other processing of wildlife products.

Private Wildlife Licence

Allows people to keep wildlife at their private residences.

Wildlife Shelter Authorisation and Wildlife Foster Care Authorisation

Allows people to care for and rehabilitate injured, ill, or orphaned wildlife for release back into the wild.

Research, Conservation, Management and Nursery Authorisation

Allows people to conduct research where activities may be impacting on wildlife, protected flora or fish, but are necessary for improving scientific understanding, such as attaching radio collars to track wildlife.

Wildlife Import/Export Permit

Allows people to bring wildlife into or out of Victoria.

Forest Produce Licence

Allows individuals and private companies to cut, dig, or take away material from State forests for personal or commercial use.

Permits issued in 2024–2025: Issue and renew

Cruelty operations

In addition to laying 312 charges this year for wildlife cruelty offences, the Conservation Regulator has achieved several significant court outcomes in 2024–2025.

Summary of enforcement action

Performance measures for regulating the protection of wildlife

*Renewals are completed on a two year cycle, which results in a reduction in renewals every two years

Key publications

Wildlife Demonstrator Licence Guide

In October 2024 the Conservation Regulator published guidance for Wildlife Demonstrator Licence holders, providing information about how to comply with their wildlife licence conditions.

This document includes information on:

• Conditions of the licence and the objectives those conditions are trying to achieve.
• How Authorised Officers will be enforcing the conditions of the licence.
• Penalties that may be imposed if there is a failure to comply with the conditions.

Systems, processes, and tools

Case Management System

The Case Management System was built specifically for the Conservation Regulator to support how it manages investigations into non-compliance. It was launched in June 2024 and since then, more than 1,000 cases have been opened. This system brings the entire case management process online, from starting a case and assessing it, to storing evidence and managing it over time. It helps Authorised Officers handle cases more consistently and efficiently, while also making it easier to track workloads and identify patterns in environmental non-compliance. The system also provides valuable data to support long-term planning and decision‑making.

Systems improvements in action: Improving procedural fairness and transparency through internal reviews and complaint processes

The Conservation Regulator has implemented an internal review program that provides the community with a method to make a complaint or request an internal review about the way we conduct our activities or the decisions we make.

Our internal review program provides an impartial assessment of:

• A regulatory decision, such as issuing licences or authorisations.
• An officer’s behaviour when conducting regulatory activities, including if they followed policies and procedures, or how they undertook defensive actions.
• Systemic issues or risks that might impact our ability to safely and effectively conduct our regulatory activities.

Each assessment is conducted internally by an independent assessor who considers all aspects of the matter to determine compliance with legislation and approved policies, procedures and training and then will determine whether remedial activities are required to address decisions, specific risks or whether further investigation is required by a third party.

In 2024–2025, the Conservation Regulator received eight requests for internal review to be conducted.

• Six internal reviews were in relation to regulatory decisions.
  • Five of these decisions were determined to be appropriate regulatory decisions.
  • One regulatory decision was remade.

Two internal reviews were in relation to Authorised Officer conduct. These reviews determined that the actions carried out by the Authorised Officer were justified and they acted appropriately.

Lodge a complaint or request internal review

cr.internalreview@deeca.vic.gov.au