New animal welfare laws left in limbo: 2018 election held over to 2022

Farmers, fishers and hunters must wait until next year to see what Victoria’s new animal welfare laws will look like.

The RSPCA has lobbied to end game fishing’s exemption from animal cruelty laws.

THE Andrews Government has abandoned delivering its 2018 election promise to rewrite Victoria’s animal welfare laws until the lead-up to next year’s election, leaving farmers, fishers and hunters in limbo.

The election promise was to create a new act that for the first time recognised animals as sentient beings – capable of feeling fear and other emotions.

But it took until last October for then Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes to release a directions paper outlining proposed reforms, to which industry and welfare groups had to lodged submissions within six weeks. Since then nothing has happened.

The directions paper included a proposals to remove exemptions to animal welfare laws, which currently allow farmers to use 1080 poison, land managers to set leg-hold traps, hunters to use hounds and dispatch ducks and even anglers to reel in game fish and live bait.

These activities have traditionally been exempt from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which imposes penalties on anyone “who does or omits to do an act with the result that unreasonable pain or suffering is caused, or is likely to be caused, to an animal”.

Victorian Farmers Federation Livestock Group president Steve Harrison told The Weekly Times his members had been “sweating, waiting, because we’re very concerned” as to what the draft legislation would deliver.

“They’re (government) a bit trigger happy at the moment,” he said. “And they’re making too many decisions behind closed doors.”

Recreational anglers’ lobby group VRFish raised similar concerns, following RSPCA lobbying to end game fishing.

But when The Weekly Times approached Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas this week she deferred to her department, which stepped in to reassure stakeholders the exemptions would be retained.

“A new Act would not ban current lawful activities involving animals, such as the use of pest animal traps, fishing and hunting, or the use of 1080 poison,” the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions spokeswoman said.

As for delivering a new act the spokeswoman said “there was strong community interest in (last year’s) consultation” and “a summary report providing an overview of feedback received is being prepared and will be released to the public”.

“The feedback is informing the work of developing draft legislation and an Exposure Draft will be released for public feedback next year. This timeframe provides for the robust development and legal drafting of this important new act.”

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