ANIMAL
DEFENDERS
OFFICE
Where do our political parties stand on animal protection?
ACT ELECTION
Saturday 19 October 2024
Here's our scorecard of parties contesting the 2024 ACT election and their positions on six key animal protection policies. We wrote to all registered political parties as at 13 September 2024. We followed up with parties that did not respond. Parties that did respond are included in the table.
The key animal welfare policies are:
1) A moratorium on kangaroo killing on public land and nature reserves to allow for a full independent inquiry by a committee of the Legislative Assembly
2) Maintain the ACT's ban on greyhound racing
3) An independent inquiry by a committee of the Legislative Assembly into the impoundment of dogs by the ACT Government pound (Domestic Animal Services)
4) A ban on 1080 poison
5) A ban on chick-hatching projects in schools
6) Phase out government subsidies for horseracing in the ACT
Here's how the political parties line up:
For a copy of the ADO's letter to parties, see here.
Wondering which party has an actual policy on animal welfare?
We've done the research for you! Here's what we found:
For more information on the actual policies and statements of parties, see our full report here.
DISCLAIMER:
The Animal Defenders Office is not affiliated with any political party. The above material is provided on an information-only basis and was compiled in October 2024. The parties listed in the scorecard responded to our letter. If no responses were provided the parties were not included in the table. The information in the policies table was gathered primarily from policy materials on the websites of political parties.
For a full list of registered parties, see the ACT Electoral Commission's website.
NSW ELECTION
Saturday 25 March 2023
Here's our scorecard on some key animal protection policies of parties contesting the 2023 NSW election
Saturday 21 May 2022
To help you make your vote count for all animals at the Australian Federal Election on 21 May 2022, the ADO has assembled a scorecard that gives you a glimpse of where the parties and independents stand on three key animal welfare issues. Information has been sourced primarily from parties' and candidates' websites. Where information on policies was not available, we have reached out to parties and candidates directly for their comments. We plan to update the scorecard regularly as new information comes to light, so watch this space!
Want more information? Check out our comprehensive Animal Policy Report for the 2022 Federal Election! It contains more information about where parties and candidates stand on our three focus animal issues but also animal issues in general.
Saturday 17 October 2020
The Animal Defenders Office has again called for animal protection to be put on the ACT agenda as the Territory heads towards the 2020 election.
In September 2020 the Animal Defenders Office wrote to all political parties contesting the
2020 ACT Election. We sought their positions on these key animal protection issues that we think the incoming ACT Government will face over the next four years:
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Phasing out 1080 poison
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A ban on prong collars for dogs
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A ban on mulesing sheep
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A moratorium on the annual kangaroo cull
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Restrictions on fruit tree netting (to protect flying foxes)
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A ban on shark fin products
This is how the parties that responded lined up:
TAKE ACTION
If you want to make animal protection a 2020 ACT Election issue, please tell the leaders of the political parties how important animal welfare issues are to you as a voter, and ask them to commit to each of the above initiatives if elected. Parties' contact details are available here.
THE ANIMAL PROTECTION ISSUES - WHAT WE ASKED THE PARTIES
You can read here the letter that we sent to each of the 16 political parties contesting the 2020 ACT Election, with information about each issue.
Please note...
The Animal Defenders Office is not affiliated with any political party.
The above scorecard is provided on an information-only basis and was compiled in October 2020. The parties listed responded to our letter or directed us to their published policies. If no responses or polices were available the parties have not been included in the table eg the Climate Change Justice Party, Australian Federation Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Shooters Fishers and Farmers, The Canberra Party, The Community Action Party, and The Flux Party.
There is a number of independent candidates running in the ACT Election. Some of these Independents may have progressive animal welfare policies. If you have an Independent running in your electorate, you may wish to contact them directly to ask where they stand on these and other animal welfare issues.
In the lead up to the 2019 federal election, the Animal Defenders Office has looked at the main political parties' positions on two key animal protection issues.
To make your vote count for animals, see where the major political players stand on these initiatives:
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Banning the export of live animals (for slaughter and breeding)
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Establishing a national animal welfare body
Please note...
The Animal Defenders Office is not affiliated with any political party.
The table is provided on an information-only basis and was compiled in May 2019.
There are a number of Independent candidates running in the Federal Election. Some may have progressive animal welfare policies. If you have an Independent running in your electorate, you may wish to contact them directly to ask where they stand on these key animal welfare issues.
The Animal Defenders Office is calling for animal protection to be put on the ACT agenda
as the Territory heads towards an election.
In September 2016 the Animal Defenders Office wrote to political parties contesting the
2016 ACT Election. We sought their positions on four key ACT animal protection issues.
To make your vote count for animals, see where the major political players stand on these initiatives:
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Banning greyhound racing in the ACT
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Strengthening animal cruelty and neglect penalties
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Suspending kangaroo kills on public land while science is reviewed and alternatives assessed
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Acknowledging animals’ sentience in ACT animal welfare legislation
TAKE ACTION
If you want to make animal protection a 2016 ACT Election issue, please tell the leaders of the political parties how important animal welfare issues are to you as a voter, and ask them to commit to each of the above initiatives if elected.
To download a handy flyer with our election scorecard on animal protection issues, click here:
THE ANIMAL PROTECTION ISSUES
When we wrote to all 12 political parties contesting the 2016 ACT Election, we asked each party about the following initiatives:
Greyhound racing ban in the ACT
In August 2016 the NSW Government passed the Greyhound Racing Prohibition Act 2016 to phase out greyhound racing in NSW by 1 July 2017.
Question: Does your party support a legislative ban on greyhound racing in the ACT?
Increasing penalties for animal cruelty and neglect offences
The ACT has the lowest or second lowest fines and terms of imprisonment for animal cruelty and neglect offences compared to the other Australian States and Territory.
Question: Does your party support strengthening maximum penalties for animal cruelty and neglect offences in the ACT?
Suspending kangaroo killing on public land
For the past several years the ACT Government has killed thousands of healthy kangaroos in ACT nature reserves and on other public land. In Animal Liberation ACT v Conservator of Flora and Fauna(1) it was established that these kills have serious negative animal welfare outcomes, particularly for the hundreds of orphaned joeys who die a slow death after being separated from their mother (and primary source of food).
Question: Does your party support a moratorium on [ie suspension of] killing kangaroos on ACT public land while the need for the kills in conservation terms is re‑assessed and non-lethal measures explored?
(1) Animal Liberation ACT v Conservator of Flora and Fauna [2014] ACAT 35.
Legislative recognition of the sentience of animals
In 2015 a number of overseas jurisdictions explicitly acknowledged in legislation that animals are sentient beings rather than ‘things’(1).
By contrast, no Australian animal welfare law refers to animals as sentient. The ACT should be the first Australian jurisdiction to recognise in law what science and our community have accepted long ago.
Question: Does your party support acknowledging in ACT animal welfare law that animals are sentient?(2)
(1) For example on 5 May 2015 the New Zealand Parliament passed the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No 2) 2015 which recognises ‘that animals are sentient’ (subparagraph (a)(i)).
(2) This could be done by amending the Animal Welfare Act 1992 (ACT) by inserting a new provision, amending section 4A ‘Objects of Act’, or amending the long title of the Act.
Please note...
The Animal Defenders Office is not affiliated with any political party.
The above guide is provided on an information-only basis and was compiled on 29 September 2016 and updated on 12 October 2016. The parties are listed alphabetically. Where parties did not respond, we have determined the position based on publicly available statements. If no responses or statements were available the parties have not been included in the table eg Canberra Community Voters, The Flux Party – ACT and VoteCanberra.
There are a number of Independent candidates running in the ACT Election. Some of these Independents may have progressive animal welfare policies. If you have an Independent running in your electorate, you may wish to contact them directly to ask where they stand on these key animal welfare issues.