Pet Industry Association of Australia

10/11/2026

At 11 am today, we pause to remember those who gave their lives in service to Australia.

We honour their sacrifice and recognise the lasting loss carried by their families and communities.

Lest we forget.

10/11/2026

PIAA won its challenge to treating routine dog grooming instruction as animal research in Tasmania.

A Tasmanian training provider had been told that teaching people to bathe, brush and clip dogs could bring the activity under animal research rules. Those rules serve an important purpose. They provide oversight where animals are used in activities likely to cause significant harm to their welfare.

Tasmania’s Animal Welfare Act sets two requirements. An activity must have a relevant science or teaching purpose, and it must be likely to have a significant adverse effect on the animal’s welfare.

PIAA wrote to the department and asked it to explain how the grooming instruction met that second requirement. Our case was that the routine instruction at issue did not meet the welfare threshold for research licensing.

The national training standards show why practical instruction deserves careful consideration. Learners must demonstrate humane handling on dogs with different coat types and know how to recognise signs of stress. In a salon, that knowledge helps a groomer decide when to change their approach, give a dog a break or stop the session.

That’s the principle we took to government. Start with the risk to the animal, look at how the activity is carried out and apply the rules to the evidence.

See what your membership helped make possible in our Member Update.

https://piaa.org.au/member-update/

03/11/2026

Remember when walking into David Jones felt special?

The perfume. The staff who knew everything. That tissue wrapped garment and the houndstooth bag. Now it feels like everywhere else. And Australia's oldest department store is fighting to survive.

What went wrong is a lesson for every pet business owner. If customers only come for the brands on your shelves, not for you, you're one supplier decision away from trouble.

7 lessons + a quick brand health check for your business. Learn Below:
https://zurl.co/0BJwH

PIAA supports Australian pet businesses through advocacy, industry advice, member benefits and events. Join a stronger voice for the pet industry.

02/11/2026

Animal welfare standards need evidence behind them and practical experience shaping them.

Pet businesses work directly with animals every day. That experience belongs in the decisions that set expectations for their care.

PIAA is calling for an approach that recognises the work involved in caring for animals and uses evidence to guide better welfare outcomes.

Read the article in Pet Industry News:
https://zurl.co/ynCx2

29/10/2026

Better animal welfare starts with understanding what animals need and having evidence to guide their care.

Pet business owners put this into practice every day. You recognise stress, adjust care to individual animals and see which approaches help them thrive.

That experience belongs in the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy.

PIAA is calling for proposed requirements to answer clear questions:

• What welfare problem is being addressed?
• What evidence shows the change will improve care?
• Could another approach achieve the same protection?

Standards should recognise differences between species and care settings. Where different methods deliver equivalent welfare outcomes, there should be a workable path to recognise them.

We challenge the assumptions behind proposals. A belief that people should no longer keep, breed or work with animals is a position that deserves open debate. It should not be presented as scientific evidence about how those animals are best cared for.

PIAA supports better care and accountability for poor practice. We want future requirements grounded in evidence, informed by experienced operators and practical to apply.

Have an example of a requirement that improves care, or one that overlooks how animals are actually cared for? Send it to [email protected].

Government consultation closes at on 13 November 2026.

Read PIAA’s position and how to contribute here - https://zurl.co/LuhIE

27/10/2026

📣URGENT ALERT: Have you seen the new "grey list" warning on the DCCEEW Live Import List webpage?

The Department is now claiming that the ornamental fish grey list is an "industry-developed 'grey list'", while leaving out the express sections of the EPBC Act that make long-established Australian breeding lines completely legal to keep, breed and sell.

That statement rewrites 25 years of government-funded history and puts compliant aquarium businesses at risk. PIAA has formally intervened and given DCCEEW and the National EPA 7 business days to fix the webpage or face escalation to the Environment Minister and the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

Every aquarium retailer, breeder, wholesaler and keeper needs to be across this. Read our full breakdown and download PIAA's formal letter here - https://zurl.co/3gNre

22/10/2026

Another win for the aquarium industry.

PIAA pushed for clarification on the status of Red Forest and Blue Neon Jewel cichlids, making the case that their scientific classification places them outside Queensland’s prohibited listing for Hemichromis.

Following our representations, Biosecurity Queensland has approved that it recognises Rubricatochromis as a separate genus. Red Forest and Blue Neon Jewels are therefore not captured by the Hemichromis prohibition.

We thank Biosecurity Queensland for considering the taxonomic evidence and clarification, plus the PIAA Industry members who contributed their expertise.

PIAA will continue to raise members’ concerns and work constructively with regulators to resolve them.
This work cannot happen without members.
Stand with the industry that supports you. Head to https://zurl.co/esUwk to learn more.

21/10/2026

Running a pet business leaves little time to work out which digital tools are worth your attention.

The Australian Government’s Digital Solutions program offers eligible small businesses up to five hours of one-on-one advice for a small fee, plus free workshops and webinars.

Get help with digital marketing, selling online, business software or cybersecurity.

Available across Australia to sole traders and businesses with fewer than 20 full-time equivalent employees.

Find out what’s available in your state: https://zurl.co/OSdnh

16/10/2026

What could more practical NSW reptile licensing look like?

PIAA is taking industry concerns to government, seeking improvements for lawful retailers and responsible keepers. Our latest discussion with the regulator opened a pathway worth exploring.

Read what we’re asking for and where the discussion is heading 👇
https://zurl.co/FnxpR