cat owners will be required by law to take all reasonable precautions to prevent their cat from escaping from their property — failure to do so is a new criminal offence with escalating penalties for repeat offences

owners who intentionally let their cat leave the property without it being under effective control face a fine of up to 8 penalty units

a cat found outside its property without being under the effective control of a person is now treated as a nuisance cat under the law, as is a cat that endangers the health of a person or animal

councils can issue orders requiring a cat owner to take steps to contain their cat, and failure to comply with such an order is an offence

there is a defence for people experiencing homelessness or domestic abuse who cannot contain their cat

the laws take effect one year after assent, with higher penalties for first offences applying after 5 years