The Australian Alliance for Animals congratulates Senator Murray Watt on his appointment today as Australia’s new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
Alliance for Animals’ Policy Director Dr Jed Goodfellow said Australia’s animal welfare sector was looking forward to working with Minister Watt on improving the nation’s animal welfare record.
“Animal welfare is such an important part of the Agriculture portfolio – millions of Australians care about the way animals are treated and change is long overdue.
“The lack of national leadership on animal welfare over the past decade has impacted Australia’s international reputation, trade and market access, and the welfare of literally hundreds of millions of animals as progress on reviewing national standards ground to a halt under the previous government.
“We’re looking forward to working with Minister Watt on the delivery of Labor’s full suite of animal welfare policy commitments, including:
· establishing an Inspector-General for Animal Welfare with $1 million in annual funding
· renewing the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy with $5 million in funding over four years, and
· phasing out live sheep exports.
“We know Australians will welcome these policies, particularly the end of the cruel live sheep export trade, an outcome that will also create more jobs and value-adding opportunities in Australia.”
National polling conducted by Roy Morgan Research in March 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
· 74% support the creation of an independent body to oversee animal welfare
· 85% support animal welfare laws reflecting community expectations and best-available science.
The Labor Government should also find strong support for animal welfare policies within the new Parliament with 13 of the 16 crossbench members already confirming their support for ending live sheep exports.
