Animal advocates coalition asks public for help to call on DAF to toughen state’s animal laws

If you want to see tougher sentences for people who abuse animals or better welfare for animals locked in laboratories, this is your final chance to have your say and influence new laws.

Queenslanders are being urged to have their say about changes to the state’s outdated animal laws by the government’s deadline at midnight on Friday.

The use of animals for scientific testing, whether vets should have to report suspected cruelty, the legal use of poisoned baits and traps, restraining dogs in utes and whether the existing court sentences for animal cruelty crimes are harsh enough are just some of the topics under review for the first time in 20 years.

Biosecurity Queensland, part of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, invited public submissions into the review of the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 in April, with some animal advocacy groups critical of topics omitted from the review’s discussion paper, including the absence of questions regarding the government’s use of 1080 and PAPP poison baits as well as the tethering of dogs.

Queenslanders have until midnight tonight to tell the state government about what type of animal welfare laws they would like to see. Animal advocate groups are petitioning for several things, including laws against tethering dogs like these two. The RSPCA found one dog lies dead in the heat and rescued the surviving dog. Picture: RSPCA

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said about 900 submissions had been received by the public as of last week.

“The review is examining all aspects of the Act to ensure that our laws continue to meet changing community expectations and modern animal welfare practices,” he said.

Some of Queensland’s largest animal protection organisations have, in turn, formed a coalition to call on the state government to instigate stronger animal protection laws.

Chay Neal, Executive Director of Animal Liberation Queensland said the coalition comprised of members from Animals Australia, the Animal Justice Party, Animals Need Shade, Coast to Coast Animal Friends, Farm Animal Rescue, World Animal Protection and the ALQ.

“The coalition represents hundreds of thousands of Queenslanders who recognise that caring for and protecting other animal species is vital to the state’s public good,” he said.

Queenslanders are being urged to ask the government to recognise all animals as sentient beings. Picture: Mark Zita

Mr Neal said Queensland’s Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 was out of date with modern community expectations, contemporary animal science and even legislation from other states.

“(The Act) is out of alignment with the community’s expectation that animals are provided adequate consideration, care and protection,” he said.

“All animals deserve care and protection from harm and abuse, including companion animals, farmed animals, wildlife and marine life.

“We are concerned that the current discussion paper does little to address animal welfare issues for farmed animals.”

The coalition is asking the public to help call on the government to officially recognise animals as sentient beings and that the community has an obligation to protect the basic requirements of animal welfare, including freedom from hunger, thirst, discomfort, pain, injury, fear, distress and disease as well as freedom to express normal behaviours.

The animal advocates are also seeking mandatory orders for repeat or serious offenders to prohibit those individuals from owning or being responsible for any animal for life as well as to mandate the end to calf roping in Queensland.

The animal coalition is also seeking an end to calf roping in Queensland rodeos. Picture: Supplied

Mr Neal said the groups also wanted the government to provide a minimum baseline of animal welfare to ensure that neither “Codes nor Standards can enable animal cruelty that should otherwise be prohibited under the Act.”

“The coalition will advocate changes to the Act that also enable the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Protection to address the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ current conflict of interest in regulating and enforcing animal-use industries while fostering those industries’ economic productivity,” he said.
Brad King, founder of Farm Animal Rescue, claimed Queensland’s existing legislation “institutionalises animal cruelty and lacks the clarity required to support the community’s right to report animal cruelty, or for enforcement agents to act on clear cases of animal abuse.”

“Queenslanders expect genuine change to this legislation to better protect the interests of animals,” he said.

“Nine out of 10 people are concerned about animal welfare in farming and this coalition aims to foster collaboration and dialogue between all key stakeholders to ensure the revised legislation addresses these concerns.”

Brad King from Farm Animal Rescue said most people care about animal welfare in farming.
Maddox Forman was given a helping hand from dad Paul recently as the three-year-old followed in his footsteps into a stud cattle arena. Picture: Erica Murree

Mr Furner said submissions on all aspects of the Animal Care and Protection Act were welcome, including any not represented on the survey or in the discussion paper
“If people have a particular concern about an animal welfare issue that is not listed in the discussion paper, they are not restricted by the discussion paper and can raise any matter related to animal welfare as part of the review,” he said.
“I encourage anyone passionate about animal welfare issues to make a submission before (midnight on) May 21.”

Morika Elek from Animals Need Shade is also petitioning the state government to ban the tethering of dogs, while another organisation, Ban Dog Chaining, has links to petitions aiming to stop the use of choke, shock and prong collars.

RSPCA Queensland Chief Inspector Daniel Young said the organisation would also be petitioning the government to increase the penalties and sentences imposed by courts with regards to crimes against animals, among other issues.

Mr Neal said the ALQ was one of the organisations that originally advocated for the Act in 2001 but that legislation now lagged behind other jurisdictions like the ACT, which has acknowledged animal sentience and the legal obligation to care and protect animals since the capital territory since 2019.

MORE INFO:

To have your say or make a submission into the Animal Care Act review, visit HERE.

Visit here to sign the Animals Need Shade petition or here to visit the Ban Dog Chaining petition.

Click here to sign a ban1080 petition or here to request a review into the use of the poison.

Report animals in distress by ringing the RSPCA’s animal emergency hotline on 1300 ANIMAL.

Public submissions into Queensland’s review of the animal care act are due by tonight. Picture: Alex Coppel.