Animal welfare laws
ABC 666 Canberra, Canberra. Afternoons. 18 Nov 2009 02.07PM
Interview with Steven White, law lecturer, Griffith University, and Alex Bruce, senior law lecturer, Australian National University, regarding who makes law on behalf of animals and how we determine what’s in their best interests. White discusses the need to specifically address animal law issues. He says that the interested of animals need to be represented in our law system. White says that changes need to be made to better address animal welfare interests. White discusses how animal law is generally made, noting that it is usually up to states and territories. White discusses the ACT Animal Welfare Statute, which protects them from cruelty and requires a ‘duty of care’. White discusses how laws regarding animals often reflect differing culture approaches to different sorts of animals. Bruce says that the Buddhists were the first organisation to employ non-violence towards animals. He says that they were the first to create animal welfare. Bruce discusses Hindu festivals where 500,000 animals are killed. White discusses battery farming in ACT. He says that legally people can stack chickens in cages in all territories. Bruce discusses the laws in the European Union to phase out caged chickens. He says that there are those precedents that can be used to make that change in Australia. Bruce discusses the issue of kangaroo culling. White discusses the question of economics that is involved with kangaroo culling. Bruce discusses the differences in laws for wild animals and domesticated animals. Bruce says that wild animals tend to be protected by environmental and management law. Bruce discusses the NSW Hunters Party legislation to hunt introduced animals as a conservation measure. He says that this already occurs in some states and notes, dejectedly, that NSW won’t be a leader in the regard. Bruce says that environmental law has to start moving away from the least-hard option. He says that there is currently research underway looking sterilisation and less harmful ways of dealing with the issues.
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