The draft Animal Care and Protection Act released for consultation today has the potential to transform animal welfare in Victoria and bring it in line with modern science, community expectations and other progressive jurisdictions.
Speaking about the draft, RSPCA Victoria’s CEO Dr Liz Walker said the organisation was thrilled to see this election commitment progressing.
“This draft new legislation has the potential to bring the most significant animal welfare progress Victoria has seen in decades,” Dr Walker said.
“It’s fantastic to see this draft and in particular some of the proposed key changes RSPCA Victoria has been advocating for over many years.
“The current Act is more than 30 years old and has fallen out of step with more recent scientific understanding of good welfare as well as community expectations that have also evolved significantly over this time.
“With this new Act, the future of animal welfare in this state looks promising.”
The key changes in the draft RSPCA Victoria advocated for and supports include:
- Recognition of animal sentience – that animals can feel, perceive their environment and experience positive and negative sensations;
- The introduction of minimum care requirements for animals which would be set in Victorian law for the first time;
“We look forward to reviewing the draft in detail and providing a considered response based on our Inspectors’ extensive experience in enforcing animal welfare laws.”
