For far too long pets and animal welfare have been forgotten by our governments. Today Animal Care Australia implores our governments to start recognising the importance of our pets and animals in our lives.
Does Animal Care Australia support an Office (and Minister) of Animal Welfare?
The short answer is yes but conditionally. Our preference is to take that one step further and for each State/territory to have an Animal Welfare Commission.
An Animal Welfare Commission and Commissioner will provide an avenue for all aspects of animal welfare, care, education and enforcement to be maintained, reviewed and evaluated without the interference of political agendas, the rhetorical ideology of animal rights/protection activists or the favouring to avoid change that exists within sectors of the animal keeping community.
The Animal Welfare Commission will create a single over-arching body responsible for and improving animal welfare outcomes throughout the state. Its ability to advise the ministers of the various government bodies and to have full oversight of the enforcement of animal welfare legislation will provide a level of independence no longer reliant on the whims of any one government minister or department while having the capacity to consult with stakeholders and the public alike.
One organisation coordinating and improving animal welfare with oversight will re-prioritise animal welfare to the level that society expects.
To read more about the structure of an Animal Welfare Commission and how it would function go here.
What about it’s independence?
The Animal Rights movement is fixated on introducing an Independent Office of Animal Protection (IOAP). They are targeting both federal & state/territory governments for this to be introduced.
Animal Care Australia does not support this because of their public statements regarding the responsibilities of the IOAP, that primarily being, “With the power of an IOAP, the Animal Justice Party will enable the current conflicts of animal and human interests to be removed, and for animals to have better protection under law.”*
When combining this with their position on providing animals with ‘personhood’ rights, this creates numerous flaws and legislative nightmares for those of us who keep pets and companion animals.
Exacerbating our concerns further is the following statement:
“The IOAP will promote animal rights on farms and in other related industries, and prosecute offenders”. Excerpt from the Animal Justice Party 2022 Federal Election Platform document.
Effectively the IOAP will be an office of animal rights enforcement. This is something we must avoid at all costs.
Animal Care Australia strongly advocates for federal and state recognition and funding to ensure the development of consistent laws throughout Australia.
An Office (and Minister) of Animal Welfare?
Within Australian politics, there are several parties pushing for some form of Office for Animal Welfare/Rights/Protection to effectively remove the perceived conflict between animal welfare and agriculture – or agribusiness as the animal rights activists prefer to use. The reality is with Labor, The Greens, the Animal Justice Party and other smaller parties all actively lobbying for such a separation, the continued enhancement of animal welfare must include the inclusion of animal welfare developments within the Federal and State governments – not independent to, where they can be more easily infiltrated by animal rights ideologies.
If an Animal Welfare Commission was deemed unsuitable for a particular State or territory – perhaps due to the small size of that government, Animal Care Australia would support an Office and Minister for Animal Welfare if:
- the current Chief Animal Welfare Officers and their departmental staff were moved into this new Office
- all animal welfare legislation enforcement officers reported to and were held directly accountable by the Chief Animal Welfare Officer (or a similarly designated senior staff position) and not a charitable or privately run organisation
- the determination of whether a prosecution of an alleged offence of animal cruelty would only progress if assessed and approved by either the Department of Public Prosecutions or the Chief Animal Welfare Officer (or a similarly designated senior staff position)
- a Minister for Animal Welfare and the Office must report annually via a Parliamentary Inquiry in order to ensure full transparency and accountability
Their responsibility must include a full review of all legislation including:
- to clearly define and implement appropriate legislative safeguards to ensure the ongoing and ethical breeding of pets and companion animals while identifying and prosecuting those who breed unethically
- probate and guardianship laws for after the death or incapacitation of their carer
- reforms to the family law system to consider animal welfare during divorce proceedings and make it easier for victims to amend animal registration and microchipping details without alerting the perpetrator as to their whereabouts
- provide resources including homing opportunities for victims of domestic violence to remain together without needing to be separated
- review environmental and land clearing legislation to include the mandatory inclusion of native wildlife animal welfare concerns into environmental impact reviews prior to and overriding of any clearing of lands
- regularly review the animal agriculture industry while continuing to implement new initiatives and technologies for the advancement of animal welfare outcomes
The major concern with having a Minister is the influences that can be had by that particular party or by others agreeing to ‘deal for a deal’ politics, which opens the door for not just influence but infiltration.
Animal Care Australia fully supports and Animal Welfare Commission while conditionally supporting an Office and Minister for Animal Welfare
