Advance Australian animal welfare: The urgent need to re-establish national frameworks
News
Our Campaigns team is in Canberra today, calling for election-year commitments to address lack of national leadership for animal welfare in Australia.
A new World Animal Protection Report released today reveals the extent to which Australia’s patchwork of animal welfare laws, standards and practices are failing both Australian animals and community values, and creating reputational risk for industry. The report, Advance Australian animal welfare; the urgent need to re-establish national frameworks, discusses the void left when national frameworks for animal welfare were dismantled and defunded in 2013.
The solution we support, and which is proposed in the report, is an Independent Office of Animal Welfare (IOAW), a statutory body to act as a champion for animal welfare at the federal level.
World Animal Protection is now seeking election commitments from each party to establish an IOAW to redress the lack of national leadership and provide the coordination necessary to move animal welfare forward in Australia and keep pace with community values.
The report highlights repeated scandals such as exposes of animal abuse in intensive farms, the live baiting scandal in grey hound racing and cruel puppy factories, and calls for Australia to be on the front foot with this important area of public concern.
Nicola Beynon, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection, said, “World Animal Protection is speaking up on behalf of a community who expects better, and 200 million Australian farm animals who deserve better.
“The system as it stands is not good enough, and we are seeking an election commitment to reinstate national leadership on animal welfare.
“There is important innovation for animal welfare undertaken by industry but to be truly effective we need the Australian government to provide leadership, facilitate collaboration, and ensure clear goals are set to meet community expectations for animal welfare.”
Both community expectations and industry needs suffer under the current frameworks.
The Independent Office model would restore what was lost in 2013 when the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy (AAWS) was defunded, and responsibility for coordinating domestic animal welfare was devolved to the states and territories. It would keep law-setting and enforcement responsibilities with state and territory governments, but would provide a statutory body to oversee standard setting and ensure balance.
The Greens currently have a bill to create an IOAW in parliament, and Labor included an IOAW in its national policy platform in July2015. We are hopeful that an election commitment from all political parties would result in an inclusive forum for debate balancing industry and community interests, and a sustained funding source dedicated to achieving better animal welfare outcomes. This would bring Australian standards in line with international best practice and community expectations.
World Animal Protection is now seeking election commitments from each party to establish an IOAW to redress the lack of national leadership and provide the coordination necessary to move animal welfare forward in Australia and keep pace with community values.