The red-chested buttonquail is classified as Least concern by the IUCN. It is not listed as threatened by the Australian Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, but its conservation status varies from state to state within Australia. It is listed as "threatened" by the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act (1988). Under this Act, an "Action Statement" for the recovery and future management of this species has not yet been prepared. On the 2007 advisory list of threatened vertebrate fauna in Victoria, the red-chested buttonquail is listed as vulnerable.