This website is maintained by the Animal Research Review Panel and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (formerly NSW Department of Primary Industries). It aims to assist people involved in the use of animals for research and teaching in NSW to access information about the operation and administration of the Animal Research Act 1985, Animal Research Regulation 2021 and the Australian code for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes.

The Animal Research Act covers the use of animals for a range of purposes including their use in research, teaching, product testing, field trials, diagnosis of disease, production of biological products and environmental studies. ‘Animals’ include all live non-human vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) and includes laboratory animals, farm livestock and wildlife.