Animal Welfare Bill Exposure Draft (South Australia)
Submission overview
The Australian Alliance for Animals welcomes the opportunity to comment on the draft Animal Welfare Bill, a crucial step as South Australia prepares to modernise its animal welfare legislation for the first time since 1985. With significant advancements in our understanding of animal sentience and evolving societal values, the new law must reflect contemporary science and community expectations.
While the Bill contains positive features, we are disappointed many of our key recommendations were omitted. While an improvement over the outdated 1985 Act, the current draft fails to address fundamental deficiencies of past legislation, such as wide-ranging exemptions for harmful practices and the absence of consistent decision-making principles.
This reform presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a legislative framework that aligns with modern animal welfare standards. We offer seven key recommendations for improvement and support the submissions of our members, Animals Australia and Humane Society International Australia, addressing specific areas of concern.
We eagerly anticipate reviewing the Bill's progress and actively participating in its refinement to ensure it serves the best interests of animals and the South Australian community.
Read our submission
In this submission, the Alliance for Animals puts forward 7 key recommendations to enhance the Bill and believes the new law must reflect contemporary science and community expectations.