Animal ethics

Murdoch University fosters leading standards in animal welfare and is committed to the ethical care and use of animals for scientific purposes. Staff and students must adhere to the Australian Code for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes Animal Code (below) in all aspects of the care and use of animals and follow the guiding principles of the 3 Rs:

Replacement – methods that replace or partially replace the use of animals.
Reduction – methods for obtaining comparable levels of information from the use of fewer animals in scientific procedures and/or for obtaining more information from the same number of animals.
Refinement – methods that alleviate or minimise potential pain and distress and enhance animal wellbeing.

Murdoch University staff and students are expected to:

design and conduct their research in accordance with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research
comply with the Animal Code and any other state and Murdoch University legislation, as outlined on Legislation and links.

Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (pdf) 215 KB

Animal Care and Ethics (ACE) workshops

Enrolment in this workshop is a compulsory requirement for Animal Care and Ethics registration and animal ethics approval. These workshops are held monthly online via MS Teams and take approximately one hour.

Investigators must complete ANZCCART’s ComPass online course (Modules 1 to 7, with the quiz in Module 8) before enrolling in the workshop.

Email the Animal Welfare Advisor - Research & Teaching at animal.ethics@murdoch.edu.au to enroll in the Animal Care and Ethics Training Workshop.

2025 workshop dates

29 January
19 February
19 March
16 April
14 May
18 June
16 July
20 August
17 September
22 October
19 November

For further information about the workshops, email the Animal Welfare Advisor - Research & Teaching at animal.ethics@murdoch.edu.au.

Animal ethics approval

You need ethics approval if your project or activity involves the care and use of animals for scientific purposes on campus, in the field or in collaboration with other institutions.

Animal ethics applications are reviewed by the Animal Ethics Committee (“AEC”) monthly. To apply for an application review at a committee meeting, ensure you submit your application and supporting documentation by the agenda deadline.

All personnel that are involved in handling animals on the project must complete an online Working with Animals training module and attend an Animal Care & Ethics Workshop or provide evidence of equivalent training in animal ethics before they can be included as co-investigators.

Managing approved projects

Your animal ethics permit, with its allocated unique identification number, must be:

displayed wherever animals are used for scientific purposes e.g. in the laboratory, carried in the field e.g. in the car or boat; and/or
used in all correspondence related to that permit.

Any changes to an approved project require the submission of an amendment. Investigators must promptly notify the AEC of any breaches or unexpected adverse incidents.

You can find information and resources on our useful information page, including: