Northern Rivers Animal Law & Education Project
(a volunteer project of the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre)
Vision:
That all animals in the Northern
Rivers are protected from illegal practices
Purpose:
To assist the Northern Rivers community
to access legal advice and representation to advance animal welfare through the
legal system, and engage in law reform and community education activities to
improve the legal protections for animals.
Objectives:
-
Assist in the development of law and policy reform
to better protect animals
-
Raise awareness and educate the public about animal
welfare legal issues (via community education, promotional activities, workshops)
-
Raise awareness among the legal profession about
animal interest issues (via networking and liaison, and promotional activities)
-
Increase understanding in the community of the
legal avenues available to further protect animals
-
Maintain up-to-date knowledge on animal
interest issues, projects and the law
-
Operate with a holistic approach to animal welfare
legal issues and not represent the views of one particular group
-
Effectively
respond to the diversity of the Northern Rivers community
PLEASE TAKE PART IN OUR ANIMAL LAW SURVEY
Click here to take survey
In 2008 the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre held a
community forum to gauge interest in animal welfare legal issues. The forum was well-attended and there was
clearly significant community support for the community legal centre to work in
this field. This resulted in the
formation of the NRCLC’s volunteer-based Animal Law & Education Project
(ALEP). ALEP is comprised of lawyers,
law students and animal carers and engages in community education and law
reform activities. ALEP successfully
lobbied the local Southern Cross University’s Law School to offer an Animal Law
unit over the summer semester. The course was over subscribed with more than 80
enrolments from across NSW, proving that animal law is indeed an emerging
social justice issue. ALEP has held a community forum on animal protection laws
and in January 2011 joined in partnership with Southern Cross University’s
Animal Law unit academics to run a highly successful Animal Law Conference;
‘The Road Ahead’ which addressed the shortfalls in legal protections for
animals.
Several members of ALEP, including NRCLC manager Angela
Pollard, successfully completed the unit. As Angela states ‘ It has given me
the confidence to write law reform submissions on cruel but legal factory
farming practices as well as engaging in a media campaign against a visiting
animal circus and local rodeo events. It
is a highly contentious area , especially for a rural CLC but we have been
heartened by the overwhelming support we have received from many in the community
, especially from small ethical producers who are competing with
agri-businesses that treat sentient animals as mere units of production. Animals are extremely vulnerable to abuse by
humans and it seems logical that community legal centres engage in animal
welfare law.”
Ongoing work
- ALEP aims to run 4 community education workshops
per year.
- With the generous support of Voiceless, the
animal protection institute, ALEP is developing a state wide animal law and
education network through the existing CLCs.
- ALEP
responds to calls for submissions in relation to animal law reform issues and independent
inquiries.
- ALEP produces position statements on animal
protection issues.
- ALEP discusses animal protection issues with
concerned members of the community and advises where possible of suitable
resources available for assistance.
- ALEP provides media releases, interviews on
radio, TV et al, on animal protection issues on a regular basis. ( see past
media)
- ALEP works with local animal protection advocate
organisations when appropriate.
- ALEP meets monthly.
Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre
16 Carrington St, Lismore, NSW, 2481
Contact: Angela Pollard at angela_pollard@clc.net.au
Ph: 02 66 211
005
Anna Ludvik Ph: 02 66 211 000
Community Workshops
Animal Protection Workshop- April 2010, Southern Cross University.
Animals and the Law- The Road Ahead, Jan 2011,Conference, in partnership
with Southern Cross University, generously sponsored by the Echo, Virtual
Office, Voiceless, SCUALC and LegalEagle.
Our Pets, Our Wildlife- Living Together- April 2011, Community Education
forum, Lismore Workers Club.
Live Export Must End- June/July 2011
Casino RSM- Community Education and discussion forum
Lismore Workers Club- Community education and discussion forum.
Rally- Lismore, from Lismore Workers Club to Janelle Saffin MP’s office
“Where did I come from?” The truth about Puppy Farming, September 2011
Submissions
- July 2009-On behalf of ALEP, Amber Hall prepared
and lodged a submission for the proposed Exhibited
Animals Protections Regulations 2010.
- September 2009, we joined the RSPCA’s campaign
against puppy farming, endorsing the RSPCA’s discussion paper and
recommendations for a mandatory, enforceable accreditation program for the
tracing and identification of all dog breeders, with compulsory minimum welfare
standards for breeding. Proposals include the disclosure of a breeder number,
microchip number and ABN when animals are advertised for sale.
- We also wrote to congratulate Lismore City Council
on becoming one of a growing number of Councils to ban the use of caged hen
eggs at its functions. Subsequent contact with several councillors promoted
ALEP’s activities in regards to animal protection law issues.
- January 2011- wrote a submission regarding the
proposed standard amendment to sB4.5 –which amendment would be incorporated in the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and
Guidelines – Land Transport of Livestock (‘the Standards and Guidelines’) providing that bobby calves (newborn calves
born into the dairy industry) would be denied
food and water for up to 30 hours prior to slaughter. This increase of
the already permissible 24 off feed time provided in the code was considered
cruel and unnecessary by ALEP.
- Live Export submissions-
Senate Standing
Committee on Rural Affairs and
Transport, 2011.
Independent Review into Live Export Trade, 2011.
Voiceless Grant Recipient, 2011
ALEP has been awarded a Voiceless Grant to undertake animal protection law activities such as community education and law reform through the existing Community Legal Centres across the State, with the aim of establishing a permantent CLC Animal Law Network.
Certificate of Appreciation to Australian Volunteers- Angela Pollard,
2011
Live export
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/06/01/ban-live-exports-community/
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/06/20/voices-against-live-exports-protest-lismore/ http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2011/06/09/humane-students-win/
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/media/in_the_news.php?article=2601
http://blog.humanechain.org/2011/07/farmers-meatworkers-and-animal-welfare.html
http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2011/07/07/meat-love-and-mung-beans/
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/06/02/headline-shocking-footage-halts-live-exports-shock/
http://www.roamingtales.com/2011/07/21/live-export/ http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/31/3231344.htm?site=northcoast&source=rss
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/story/2011/06/02/headline-shocking-footage-halts-live-exports-shock/
Puppy farming: Nominated for a Voiceless
Media award, 2011:
http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2011/09/08/how-much-is-that-designer-doggie-in-the-window/
http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2011/09/06/facing-facts-puppy-farming-casino/
http://companionanimalnews.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/how-much-is-that-designer-doggie/
Rodeo
http://companionanimalnews.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/how-much-is-that-designer-doggie/
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2011/03/07/questions-raised-over-rodeo-cruelty-northern-river/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-10-20/animal-rights-and-rodeos-stir-debate/3581114
Animal Law
http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2011/03/17/law-is-still-an-ass-for-all-creatures-great-and-sm/
http://www.echonews.com.au/story/2011/12/08/abuse-prosecution-tethered-by-ambiguity/
International
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2010/01/156.shtml
Domesticated Species Gone Wild
http://www.dailyexaminer.com.au/story/2011/05/23/feral-animals-in-the-sights/
Other
http://hugo.random-scribblings.net/press/interviews-and-other-articles/1197-animal-law-project-receives-funding-southern-cross-university-10dec09
Future/Current Project/Events
Animal Law and Education Network NSW
will
undertake animal protection law
activities such as community education and law reform through the existing
Community Legal Centres across the state, with the aim of establishing a
permanent network across NSW.
http://www.voiceless.org.au/Grants/2011_Grants_Recipients/
We have
achieved so much in such a short time frame.
We engaged in planning discussions and decided that our energies and
skills should focus on developing local animal law expertise, community
engagement and networking, law reform, community education and promotion of
ALEP activities. A further goal was to seek out funding sources for future
projects.
In July, on behalf of ALEP, Amber Hall prepared and lodged a submission
for the proposed Exhibited Animals
Protections Regulations 2010. In
September we joined the RSPCA’s campaign against puppy farming, endorsing the
RSPCA’s discussion paper and recommendations for a mandatory, enforceable
accreditation program for the tracing and identification of all dog breeders,
with compulsory minimum welfare standards for breeding. Proposals include the
disclosure of a breeder number, microchip number and ABN when animals are
advertised for sale.
We also wrote to congratulate Lismore City Council on becoming one of a
growing number of Councils to ban the use of caged hen eggs at its functions.
Subsequent contact with several councillors promoted ALEP’s
activities in regards to animal protection law issues.
In October, thanks to considerable work by ALEP member Amber Hall and
law academic Anne Schillmoller, we celebrated the commencement of the first
ever animal law unit offered by Southern Cross University (SCU) and began
networking with the newly established SCU Animal Law Club (SCUALC). We formed a
community partnership with SCU to assist in the delivery of a
community-focussed “Animals and the Law: The Road Ahead” Conference as part of
the newly offered unit.
In November ALEP volunteers Anna Ludvik and Angela Pollard enrolled in
the SCU Animal Law Unit and ALEP was successful in obtaining the pro bono
assistance of Michael Bird Designs to design an ALEP logo. We also wrote to
Lismore City Council to congratulate them on providing financial support to the
RSPCA’s mobile cat de-sexing unit allowing for one week of subsidised de-sexing
and micro-chipping of cats.
In December Anna and Angela started preparation for the upcoming
national campaign to ban Live Animal Export. They met with Page MP, Janelle Saffin,
who was drafting a private member’s bill to phase out live export. Over the next few months connections were
made with leading law academic on live animal export expert Dr. Malcolm
Caulfield, Campaign Manager Jessica Borg at World Society for the Protection of
Animals (WSPA) , and Federal President of the Meatworkers Union (AMIEU), Grant Courtney. ALEP’s
position was determined; all aspects of live export are cruel; lengthy land
transport, feedlots, the inhumane conditions in the transport ships, and the
often brutal slaughter methods used in the country of destination.
In January ALEP participated in the highly successful “Animals and the
Law: The Road Ahead” Conference held at SCU. Over sixty members of the
community attended to hear from a diverse range of speakers; from Steven White,
leading animal law academic, to Mark Pearson, CEO of Animal Liberation and
legal counsel for Voiceless, Animal Protection Institute, Ruth Hatten and our
own Sue Higginson, solicitor at the Northern Rivers EDO and ALEP
member. Many thanks to Amber who put in a tremendous amount of work in helping
organise the event, including obtaining funding from Voiceless for a
promotional commercial on local television.
In February we drafted a submission to Animal Health Australia opposing
a move to change the current Land Transport of Livestock standards to allow
bobby calves (calves up to one month old, usually destined for slaughter as
they are only produced to keep dairy cows in milk) to be transported for up to
30 hours without access to liquid feed or water. Despite a massive public
response of some 6,000 objections to the proposed changes, the 30 hour limit
has been recommended to the relevant Minster. In March, ALEP members Lurline
Dillon-Smith, Sue Higginson began preparations for our “Our Pets-Our Wildlife
Living Together” Workshop. Held in April, speakers included Holly North,
National Parks and Wildlife ranger and Gwen Seznec from Friends of the Koala
and Northern Rivers Wildlife Carers, with Sue providing an overview of the law,
with Lurline facilitating. The focus of the workshop was on highlighting the
problems caused by irresponsible dog and cat owners when they allow their
animals to have unrestricted access to wildlife and their habitat. The day was
a success with feedback from many of the 26 participants that it would be great
to run similar workshops along the North
Coast.
In June Anna and Angela suddenly found themselves in the middle of a
media storm when their upcoming Live Export workshop coincided with the
broadcasting of the Four Corners expose of the treatment of Australian cattle
exported to Indonesia. There was considerable coverage of the issue in local
media with Anna and Angela giving interviews to ABC and commercial radio, local
newspapers and television. Due to the level of interest, two information
sessions were held; one in Casino and one in Lismore. Both were well attended
and speakers included Jessica Borg from WSPA, Grant Courtney from AMIEU, Dr.
Malcolm Caulfield and Carmel Cook, representing Janelle Saffin, MP. Emotions
ran high at both sessions, with some participants angry about the cruelty of
live export, others upset at the loss of jobs due to the closure of domestic
abattoirs and beef farmers concerned about their livelihoods.
All round, quite an amazing year of achievements for a small but
passionate group of community members concerned about animal protection and the
law. Just wait and see what we have planned for next year!
