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24.01.2022 The ACT General Election will be held on Saturday 17 October 2020. To assist ACT voters interested in animal welfare, the Animal Defenders Office has put together a useful summary of all registered parties’ positions on six key animal protection issues: A ban on 1080 poison A ban on prong collars for dogs A ban on mulesing of sheep... A moratorium on the annual kangaroo cull Restrictions on fruit tree netting (to protect flying foxes) A ban on shark fin products https://www.ado.org.au/election-analysis The ADO is a national non-profit community legal centre specialising in animal law.

20.01.2022 At the Animal Law Institute, we believe in supporting other advocacy organisations in order to maximise our impact on animal welfare in Australia. We’ve worked with some major organisations over the years, but we also love helping very small charities and rescue groups! Often a little bit of legal support can have a significant impact. If you work for an animal welfare organisation and have a legal question, please reach out! ... To do so, just complete the intake form on our website and one of our lawyers will be in touch: https://www.ali.org.au/advice

19.01.2022 Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas has handed down his sixth Budget this week, with major spending across infrastructure, education, health and social housing. In very welcome news, the 2020/21 Budget features increased spending on a number of animal welfare measures. Victoria will see an increase in support for animal rescue groups, greater funding for equine welfare, subsidies for desexing cats and dogs, funding for the Wildlife Victoria hotline, and increased funding towards ...animal protection and enforcement services delivered by RSPCA Victoria’s Inspectorate. Dr Liz Walker, CEO of RSPCA Victoria, welcomed the news this week and said this Budget demonstrates a real commitment to supporting and improving animal welfare in Victoria. We know that animals are central to people’s lives and their wellbeing. This government funding will help us support people and their animals - this is more important than ever as we recover from the effects of COVID-19. https://www.rspcavic.org/media/latest-news

18.01.2022 Animal welfare advocates are calling for humane alternatives to lethal shark nets and drumlines around Queensland beaches, after images emerged recently of a dead dugong that had become caught in heavy chains. The Queensland Department of Fisheries confirmed the animal drowned, after becoming caught in the Government’s Shark Control Program equipment. According to Australian Marine Conservation Society shark scientist Dr Leonardo Guida, animals typically die a slow, distre...ssing death by drowning when caught in this way, taking up to an hour to die. I can't describe it other than it would be absolutely horrible. Dr Guida also noted that the equipment has not changed in 60 years, and does not provide an impenetrable barrier between people and sharks, as many beachgoers believe. Shark nets are only 180 metres long, and sharks can swim over, under and around them. The only thing they guarantee is the death of our iconic animals. https://au.news.yahoo.com/horror-find-on-queensland-beach-l

17.01.2022 Today when someone is killed by a predator such as a shark, there are inevitably calls to kill the offending animal or cull the offending species. But here's why those old rules don't apply anymore, and why we need to preserve our predators even when they see us as food. ABC Science has published an interesting piece discussing why sharks are so important to marine ecosystems, and how we can reduce the likelihood of attacks. Check out the article in full here: https://www.abc.net.au//shark-predators-attack-ec/12660588

17.01.2022 The Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Victoria has raised serious concerns with a recent application made by a breeder to triple the number of breeding dogs their business can own. The applicant, J&P Armiento trading as ‘Allbluestaff’, reportedly has a permit to breed 10 fertile female staffies but hopes to increase to a total of 30. According to reports, the breeder received a fine in 2018 for breeding an underage dog, and again in 2019 for breeding a female dog twice i...n 18 months. The club has called on the Cardinia Shire Council to deny the application, and publicly stated that it will take the Council to VCAT if the application is approved. The club’s media liaison Dr David Lowe said that these dogs are being treated as nothing more than breeding commodities and they’re not being given the attention that a Stafford so desperately needs or craves. Over 50 objections have been made to the application. Read more into the developing story here: https://pakenham.starcommunity.com.au//2020-11-03/puppy-f/

14.01.2022 Looking for legal help but not sure where to start? Our friends at Voiceless: the animal protection institute have compiled a useful list of Australian animal law services (including the Animal Law Institute!) to make your search for legal assistance as straightforward as possible. These services can include:... * Providing legal advice on issues of animal law; * submitting law reform submissions; * running animal law events; * educating the community on animal law, and; * providing space for burgeoning animal lawyers to grow through internships and PLT placements. This is not a comprehensive list, and Voiceless does not recommend or endorse any of the entities listed. If you are aware of an organisation or law firm that should be included, please complete this survey. Other queries can be directed to: [email protected] https://voiceless.org.au/animal-law/animal-law-services/

14.01.2022 According to recent reports, 12 Tasmanians have lost over $40,000 to so-called ‘puppy scams’ during COVID-19. This represents a 50 per cent rise in this kind of scam in 2020. Puppy scams involve advertising dogs for sale online that don’t actually exist, and demanding up front payments from unsuspecting buyers. We strongly encourage prospective pet owners to avoid online sales of animals. If you are looking to adopt a pet, consider visiting a shelter or local rescue organis...ation, and above all, always do your research. https://www.abc.net.au//puppy-scam-tasmania-coron/12668284

14.01.2022 The NSW Government has supported a motion in Parliament calling for a trial of immunocontraceptives to manage the State’s wild horse population. Immunocontraceptives are vaccines that can be administered via darts, to induce infertility without causing too much disturbance to the animals involved. The motion was put forward by Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst. She noted the success seen in the US and called on the NSW Government to trial this option, in order to humanely... manage brumby numbers in Kosciuszko National Park. Horses continue to suffer horrific deaths, native animals remain at threat and communities are stressed about the animal cruelty. Fertility control offers potential to reduce wild horse numbers humanely and ethically to a level that is acceptable in the long term. It is the only scientifically backed solution being put forward that promises to be both effective and avoid extreme animal cruelty. You can access the Hansard transcript here: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au//Pag/HansardResult.aspx

13.01.2022 On 4 November, Domestic Violence NSW will launch its report on 'Animals and people experiencing domestic and family violence: How their safety and wellbeing are interconnected’. ‘A woman threatened to leave a male partner so he killed her dog.’ Domestic violence worker. Perpetrators use domestic and family violence against animals to exert power and control and to harm animals and people, including children.... In July 2020, Domestic Violence NSW surveyed over 100 domestic and family violence and community workers on this issue. More than half of the workers stated victim-survivors had disclosed a perpetrator killed their animal or animals. Over forty percent of workers stated victim-survivors with animals had delayed leaving a perpetrator for more than a year due to barriers to accessing support. DVNSW invites you to join them for the virtual launch of their report on animals and people experiencing domestic and family violence, which is informed by the lived expertise of survivor advocates. They will share key survey findings and recommendations for law, policy, program and practice change to improve the safety of animals and people experiencing domestic and family violence. Date and time: Wednesday 4 November, 2-3pm AEDT (NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS) You can register via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/animals-and-people-experiencin You can join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82726070713 (Meeting ID: 827 2607 0713) Or dial by your location: +61 7 3185 3730 Australia +61 8 6119 3900 Australia +61 8 7150 1149 Australia +61 2 8015 6011 Australia +61 3 70 18 2005 Australia

10.01.2022 The NSW Court of Appeal has handed down a judgment that will stop apartment buildings across the state from banning pets! The legal dispute between the high-rise ‘Horizon’ apartment building complex and dog lover, Jo Cooper, lasted over five years. Ms Cooper successfully fought to keep her 13-year-old miniature schnauzer, Angus, in her apartment. According to Ms Cooper’s legal representatives, the court has found that banning animals breaches strata scheme legislation whic...h provides that by-laws can’t be ‘harsh, unconscionable or oppressive.’ Ms Cooper said that the emotional toll from pursuing this case has been incredibly hard. Yet throughout the last five years I’ve also lost count of the number of pet and apartment owners who have reached out and supported our stance. https://www.domain.com.au//pets-now-allowed-in-sydney-apa/

09.01.2022 It’s been more than four years since New South Wales greyhound racing was rocked by a special inquiry that found overwhelming evidence of systemic animal cruelty, including mass killings. Overbreeding and euthanasia of healthy dogs is still one of the industry’s biggest challenges. A recent article published via The Conversation discusses why greyhounds bred for racing must be tracked from birth to death. The author, Alexandra McEwan, sits on the Animal Welfare and Ethics ...Committee for the Lost Dogs' Home in Melbourne. She argues that better accountability and proper tracking of dogs is essential to ensure greyhounds are not unnecessarily euthanised. Currently, greyhounds are registered when they begin racing (typically at 16 months of age). Registration from birth would ensure greater accountability. For example, figures provided by the industry regulator for June 2019 indicate that there were 3,747 births, 1,435 retirements, and 832 deaths. That leaves 1,480 dogs unaccounted for. After the special inquiry, the greyhound racing industry said it was ‘willing to change’ to meet strict animal welfare standards and regulatory guidelines. Ultimately, the greyhound industry’s future hangs on the question of unnecessary euthanasia and targets for this must be based on accurate data. Only then will the industry convince the public that it’s committed to being cruelty-free. You can access the full article here: https://theconversation.com/greyhound-pups-must-be-tracked-

09.01.2022 1-7 October 2020 is Be Kind to Animals Week! At the Animal Law Institute, we’re committed to protecting animals through the Australian legal system. Our lawyers have provided free legal advice to some of Australia's leading animal protection organisations and advocates, and our next mission is to help end puppy farming. The Animal Law Institute is about to launch an anti-puppy farm clinic. We want to fight the spread of puppy farms by providing Australians with free legal ad...vice on their rights, if they have purchased a sick pet that may have come from a puppy farm. Understanding your consumer rights is the first step in taking legal action against a potentially negligent breeder. Together, we can end this suffering. If you would like to support our fight against puppy farms, please consider making a donation today: https://www.givenow.com.au/ali You can also read more about Be Kind to Animals Week here: https://bekindtoanimalsweek.org.au #bekindtoanimalsweek

08.01.2022 According to new reports, luxury fashion brand Hermès has submitted a proposal to build one of Australia’s largest crocodile farms in the Northern Territory, to supply animal skin. The proposed farm, which has drawn criticism from animal welfare advocates, will hold up to 50,000 crocodiles to be turned into handbags and shoes. As a major supplier of croc skin, the NT is currently home to several farms and has already granted development approval for the Hermès proposal. ... Senior policy officer at RSPCA Australia, Dr Jed Goodfellow, says there are a number of welfare risks associated with intensive farming practices, including injuries from close confinement, small individual penning arrangements, and the impacts of restraint and slaughter methods. Nicola Beynon, Head of Campaigns for Humane Society International in Australia, considers that consumers and fashion houses are walking away from animal cruelty as fast as they can. It seems foolish to be investing in an industry that is no longer fashionable. https://www.theguardian.com//australian-farm-to-hold-50000

07.01.2022 The rush to buy a furry friend during the coronavirus pandemic, especially during lockdown, has seen a surge in what the NSW Government has called ‘unscrupulous’ breeders taking advantage of both buyers and animals. The NSW Government has announced it will introduce laws to State Parliament to increase penalties for animal cruelty offences. Under the proposed changes, the penalty for cruelty will increase from $5,500 to $44,000 and/or 12 months' imprisonment; the penalty ...for aggravated cruelty will rise from $22,000 to $110,000 and/or two years' imprisonment; and the penalty for failing to provide shelter will increase from $5,500 to $16,500 and/or six months' imprisonment. There are separate penalties for corporations. This kind of reform is long overdue, considering that NSW currently has the lowest financial penalties for animal cruelty offences of any jurisdiction in Australia by a significant margin, and the lowest prison terms for cruelty and neglect. The RSPCA has welcomed the proposals. NSW chief executive Steve Coleman said the RSPCA would absolutely beg for all parliamentarians to get behind these increases in penalties. Bringing NSW cruelty offences into line with the rest of the nation is a fantastic move, but it will not address the underlying issues of puppy farms. These new proposals will not cap the number of breeding dogs a business can own. They will not stop breeders from forcing a female dog to produce litter, after litter, after litter, until she can no longer cope. The NSW Government should not simply update penalties in order to combat puppy farming. We need to see fundamental changes to the rules which make puppy farming possible in the first place. https://www.abc.net.au//nsw-animal-cruelty-laws-p/12860608

05.01.2022 Are you interested in learning more about the legal status of animals during natural disasters? The NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Committee is hosting an online event on 30 November with PhD student Ashleigh Best, who will share some key insights into her research on this topic. Best was awarded the 2020 Sybil Emslie Animal Law Scholarship for her research. This event is open to the public but is aimed at law students and lawyers within their first five years of practice in ...NSW. https://fb.me/e/3OuGpSHuU

05.01.2022 Animal advocacy organisations are calling for an independent investigation into the death of five-year-old stallion Anthony Van Dyck following this year’s Melbourne Cup. Equine veterinary specialist Dr Peter Kerkenezov, who has also previously spoken out about the cruel live export trade, has offered to conduct the investigation. He has questioned whether Anthony Van Dyck’s suffering was prolonged on Tuesday, after the horse suffered a catastrophic life threatening skeleta...l injury resulting in severe pain. According to the expert, the normal humane response would be to euthanise the stallion, there and then, on the track, without inflicting any further pain transporting him to a new location. The ethical nature of this decision needs investigating as a possible violation of animal welfare. His full statement was provided to the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses and can be accessed here: https://horseracingkills.com//was-extreme-suffering-prol/

04.01.2022 The Animal Justice Party will soon introduce proposed legislation in the NSW Parliament to ban puppy farming! In light of recent RSPCA raids on two dog breeding facilities in Inverell and Wagga Wagga, Animal Justice Party MP Emma Hurst said it is "absolutely shocking" that it is "still legal to factory farm dogs in NSW. https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6194718793001

04.01.2022 New research has revealed that Australia’s iconic platypus is facing serious population threats due to habitat destruction. Researchers from the University of New South Wales have found that over the last 30 years, platypus habitat across Australia has shrunk by 199,919 square kilometres (equating to 22.6% of habitat), with the greatest damage seen in NSW and Queensland. They determined that the construction of dams, over-extraction, land clearing activities, pollution and ...introduced species are all contributing to the decline. The Australian Conservation Foundation, WWF-Australia and Humane Society International Australia and UNSW researchers have together nominated the platypus for an official listing as ‘vulnerable’ under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. According to Richard Kingsford, Director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at UNSW and one of the lead researchers, protecting the platypus and the rivers it relies on must be a national priority for one of the world’s most iconic animals. https://www.theguardian.com//australias-platypus-habitat-h You can access the researchers’ full publication here: https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net//UNSW_ACF_Platypus_R

04.01.2022 In international news, the French Government has announced it will phase out the use of wild animals in travelling circuses and will ban the use of killer whales and dolphins in marine parks. French Environment Minister Barbara Pompili also stated that a ban on mink fur farming will be introduced in the coming years. Wild animals, elephants, monkeys, dolphins, or minks: It's time for a new area in our relationship with these animals, Pompili said. ... "It is time that our ancestral fascination with these wild creatures no longer results in situations where keeping them in captivity trumps their wellbeing. The French Government will reportedly provide an 8 million euro package to assist the industry transition away from wild animal use. https://abcnews.go.com//france-ban-wild-animals-circuses-m

04.01.2022 New research has confirmed that horses experience the same level of pain as humans when whipped, supporting calls from animal welfare advocates to ban the use of whips in horse racing. The RSPCA-funded study compared the skin structure and nerve supply in humans and thoroughbreds to reach their conclusions. This follows another recent study which found the whip does not actually produce benefits in animal speed or rider safety on the track. This is welcome news for Racing V...ictoria, which formally tabled its proposal to phase out whips from 2021, during a board meeting of Racing Australia last week. The new research findings were summarised by RSPCA Australia chief scientist Dr Bidda Jones quite simply: if whips hurt us, they hurt horses. https://www.theguardian.com//horse-whip-humans-feel-same-p

03.01.2022 Animal advocates have called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of five-year-old stallion Anthony Van Dyck following the Melbourne Cup this week. In a statement on Tuesday, Racing Victoria said the Club remains totally committed to the welfare of all equine athletes and the ongoing focus on their wellbeing and will continue to work with the industry to understand the cause of this incident. This kind of response from the racing industry make...s us question how many more animals will have to die on the track before this ‘sport’ comes to an end. Also on Tuesday, jockey Kerrin McEvoy was fined $50,000 and received a 13-meeting suspension for excessive whip use on Tiger Moth. He whipped the horse 21 times, including 13 times before reaching the 100m mark in the race. Under current racing rules, jockeys are allowed to whip horses only five times before the 100m mark. Read more here: https://www.sbs.com.au//calls-for-investigation-into-death

03.01.2022 The Federal Government has recently announced that our iconic koala may become officially listed as ‘endangered’, following last summer’s bushfires and habitat destruction. A total of 28 species may have their threat status upgraded by the Government’s Threatened Species Scientific Committee, which provides advice to the Environment Minister in relation to threatened species and conservation issues. Environment Minister Sussan Ley has requested the committee complete its as...sessments by October next year. Environmental groups have reportedly welcomed the news, but called for more urgent action to prevent further damage to koala population numbers. https://www.theguardian.com//sliding-towards-extinction-ko

02.01.2022 From a shelter to the White House! ‘Major’ the German Shepherd will soon become the first rescue dog to live in the White House, alongside the Biden family’s older German Shepherd, ‘Champ’. The two pets have been affectionately titled ‘DOTUS’ or Dogs of the United States on Twitter - a play on the President’s official acronym of POTUS.... https://www.news.com.au///9d2c5d0b63392c899c3cad4276603b40

02.01.2022 In disappointing news, a NSW Parliamentary Committee has voted against the passage of a bill that would improve animal welfare in animal husbandry practices. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Restrictions on Stock Animal Procedures) Bill 2019 seeks to prohibit the practice of mulesing and to require farmers administer pain relief when carrying out certain procedures, such as de-horning and castration. Mulesing is a painful procedure involving cutting away wrin...kles of skin from a lamb's breech in order to prevent build-up of faeces, which can attract blowflies and maggots. The Bill was introduced to the NSW Upper House by Animal Justice Party MLC Mark Pearson. In his dissenting statement, Mr Pearson made the following comments: The community and customers want to be confident that for as long as agriculture exploits animal bodies, farmers work to avoid painful procedures or at least provide relief where pain cannot be avoided. It is disappointing that all of my fellow committee members missed the opportunity to bring New South Wales’ animal agricultural practices into the 21st century. History will one day vindicate this dissenting statement but unfortunately by then, many more animals will have suffered. The Committee’s tabled report can be accessed via the NSW Parliament website. The Animal Justice Party’s dissenting statement can be found on pages 41-42: https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au//Report%20No%2045%20-%20

01.01.2022 The Victorian Racing Tribunal has made the disappointing decision to reduce a Cup Day fine, handed down to Kerrin McEvoy, from $50,000 to just $30,000. The jockey was penalised following the 2020 Melbourne Cup for overusing his whip on Tiger Moth, a horse that McEvoy whipped a total of 21 times, including 13 times before reaching the 100m mark in the race. Under the racing rules, jockeys are allowed to whip horses only five times before the 100m mark. The original penalty to...talled just under 91 per cent of the total prizemoney McEvoy earned at the Cup, and was one of the highest penalties ever imposed. McEvoy successfully appealed the fine. On Monday, Tribunal Judge John Bowman described the original penalty as excessive and well above the average fine. https://7news.com.au//racing-officials-back-down-after-mel