Australia has strict biosecurity rules preventing parrot export, but a domestic trade and illegal export market raise welfare concerns.
Parrots in the Australian illegal export trade suffer through capture from the wild, smuggling in harsh conditions, and arrival in overseas markets without proper documentation. Captive-bred fraud where wild-caught birds are documented as captive-bred is difficult to detect and enforcement-intensive. Legitimate domestic trade in licensed captive-bred native parrots can provide adequate welfare if properly managed. Habitat loss in the wild means conservation breeding programs for some species become more important.