Australian Alliance for Animals Congratulates Incoming Minns Labor Government
The Australian Alliance for Animals congratulates the incoming Minns Labor Government and all successful candidates of the 2023 NSW election.
Alliance for Animals’ Policy Director Dr Jed Goodfellow said animal welfare groups looked forward to engaging with the new Government on delivering long overdue reforms for animal welfare.
“The results of the election are a clear indication the NSW community wants to see a fresh start on a range of policies, including animal welfare.
Over the course of the election campaign, the Alliance canvassed the positions of 15 parties on key animal welfare policies including protecting koala habitat, banning puppy farms, phasing out battery cages, and establishing an independent Office of Animal Welfare.
“We were pleased to see strong support for our policies from a wide range of parties, including the NSW Labor Party, Dr Goodfellow said.
“Labor’s support for phasing out battery cages is a potential game-changer as it removes a jurisdictional stalemate caused by the previous NSW Government’s refusal to support a national transition to more humane and sustainable egg farming practices,
“Labor’s commitment to establishing an independent Office of Animal Welfare is also really significant and forms a core part of the Alliance’s #FairGoForAnimals reform framework,
Dr Goodfellow said it was time to deliver on the community’s animal welfare expectations and make NSW a national leader in animal welfare.
“Our policy scorecards reached hundreds of thousands of constituents over the course of the election and the response was overwhelmingly positive,
“Awareness of the party policies on animal welfare issues is typically quite low despite concern being high, so people were really appreciative of our scorecards making it crystal clear where each party stood,
“These policies are strongly supported by the community and we look forward to working with the new Government on their timely implementation.”
NOTES FOR MEDIA
For all media, photo and interview inquiries, please contact 0426 025 329 or email media@allianceforanimals.org.au.
Dr Goodfellow is available for interviews:
Dr Jed Goodfellow leads the Alliance’s law and policy reform agenda. He has over 20 years’ experience in animal welfare law, policy and advocacy. He completed his PhD in animal welfare regulation in 2015.
About the Australian Alliance for Animals
The Australian Alliance for Animals is a national charity leading a strategic alliance of Australia’s key animal protection organisations with a combined supporter base of over 2 million people. Core members include Animals Australia, Humane Society International Australia, World Animal Protection Australia, Compassion in World Farming, FOUR PAWS Australia, and Voiceless, the animal protection institute. Website: www.allianceforanimals.org.au
The scorecards and further background information are available at: https://www.allianceforanimals.org.au/nsw-election-2023 They were prepared to raise awareness of the interests of animals and prevent animal suffering by summarising the position of political parties and candidates on the key animal welfare policy issues relevant to the charitable purposes of the Australian Alliance for Animals. The Alliance does not promote or oppose political parties or direct people how to vote.
National polling conducted by Roy Morgan Research in March last year found that:
98% of Australians consider animal welfare to be important
94% support laws that ensure animals are provided with a good quality of life
97% support laws that ensure animals are protected from cruel treatment
80% support government doing more to protect animal welfare
82% support a national government fund to help farmers improve animal welfare practices
74% support the creation of an independent body to oversee animal welfare
85% support animal welfare laws reflecting community expectations and best-available science.