Animal Ethics

Animal ethics is the ethical use of animals for scientific purposes and teaching.

All  proposed use of animals for scientific purposes and teaching at USQ must be assessed by the University's Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) before an ethical decision can be made on whether or not that use is justified and that the welfare of the animals has been considered.

Under the Queensland Animal Care and Protection Act 2001, an animal is any live vertebrate including amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles. Animals also include:

• live pre-natal or pre-hatched creatures in the last half of gestation, for example, a mammalian or reptilian foetus, pre-hatched avian, mammalian or reptilian young and live marsupial young
• cephalopod invertebrates such as octopus, squid, cuttlefish and nautilus.

However a human being or human foetus is not an animal, nor are the eggs, spat or spawn of fish.

Ethical principles and guidelines

Prior to applying for ethical approval, applicants should familiarise themselves with the Australian code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes and the ethical guidelines for students using animals or animal tissues for educational purposes.

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries animal welfare website contains additional information, links and responses to frequently asked questions relating to scientific use of animals.

Training sessions

Training on animal ethics regulations and an animal handling workshop is held each semester. Further details on these workshops can be obtained from Secretary, Animal Ethics Committee, email ethics@usq.edu.au.

Application guidelines and advice

Prior to applying, applicants must read the application guidelines and procedures. 

Application Submission

Completed application forms for animal ethics are required to be received at the Office of Research and Higher Degrees in hard copy only. Closing dates for 2009 are yet to be determined. Dates will be advertised shortly. Please forward your application in hard copy to Ethics Officer, Office of Research & Higher Degrees.

Monitoring of research projects

After 12 months receiving ethical clearance, or at the conclusion of the project, researchers are required to provide a report to the AEC. The questionaire for monitoring research involving animals will be send and will need to be attached to the report. 

Further information

For further information about animal ethics and the process for applying for animal ethics clearance, please contact ethics@usq.edu.au, telephone +61 7 4631 2690.