Animal Justice Party (AJP) National Committee
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The POLICIES AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT ARE SUBJECT TO FREQUENT ANALYSIS AND CAN BE CHANGED AT ANY TIME BY THE Animal Justice Party (AJP) National Committee. Animal Justice Party Contents Climate Change................. Animals Animal Experimentation............ EnerGY...................... Animal Law.................... EnvirONMENT................... Animals IN Entertainment............ GrEAT Barrier Reef................ Bats And Flying FoXES.............. Land Clearing.................. Biosecurity.................... WASTE....................... BoW Hunting................... Wildlife And Sustainability........... Brumbies..................... Companion Animals Short........... Humans CulturED Meat.................. Dingo....................... Decent WORK................... Duck Shooting.................. Domestic Violence................ Farming...................... Economy..................... GrEYHOUND Racing................ Education..................... INTRODUCED Animals............... EmploYMENT................... Jumps Racing................... Genetic Manipulation.............. KangarOOS.................... Gun ContrOL................... Koalas....................... Health....................... Law Social Justice................ Human Diet And Animals............ Live Animal Exports............... INTERNATIONAL AffAIRS............... Marine Animals................. Mental Health.................. Native BirDS................... NaturAL Gas.................... Platypus..................... Population.................... Rodeos...................... PrOCESSED Meat................. Sharks....................... Wildlife Rescue.................. Positions WOMBATS..................... Asylum SeekERS................. Zoos........................ Marriage Equality................ On VACCINATION.................. VOLUNTARY Euthanasia.............. EnvirONMENT Animals The AJP FOCUS ON ANIMALS WILL PROVIDE A BETTER LIFE NOT JUST FOR them, BUT ALSO FOR us. This IS NOT AN IDEOLOGICAL position, BUT ONE BASED IN SCIENCE AND RATIONAL ARgument. Animals ARE VERY MUCH LIKE us. TheY feel, THEY think, THEY FORM Relationships, THEY mourn, THEY GET STRessed, THEY PLAY, THEY GET EXcited, THEY PLAY TRICKS ON EACH OTHER AND CAN BE SPITEFUL AND GET ANGRY. All OF THE REASONS WE ABHOR CRUELTY TO PEOPLE APPLY TO OTHER ANIMALS also. Apart FROM THE ETHICAL REASONS FOR OPPOSING EXPLOITING ANIMALS FOR FOOD AND fiBRe, EATING THEM CAN BE HARMFUL FOR HEALTH AND IS NOT REQUIRED IN ANY MODERN SOCIETY. Factory FARMS IN PARTICULAR POSE A SERIOUS HEALTH RISK TO HUMANS AS WELL AS BEING APALLING FOR animals. The HEALTH RISKS FROM FACTORY FARMS AREN’T JUST IN THE PRODUCTS THEY PRODUCE BUT IN THE REAL POTENTIAL FOR SPAWNING MORE PANDEMICS LIKE THE SWINE flU WHICH KILLED , PEOPLE GLOBALLY IN IT’S fiRST months. UnlikE NORMAL flu, % OF THE VICTIMS WERE YOUNGER THAN . Animal AGRICULTURE IS ALSO A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO CLIMATE change. The EXTRA LAND REQUIRED TO FARM ANIMALS and, MORE IMPORTANTLY TO PRODUCE THEIR FEED IS URGENTLY REQUIRED TO BE REFORESTED TO DRAW DOWN carbon. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS-()-/fullteXT Animal Experimentation IF ANIMALS ARE CLOSE ENOUGH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY TO SUBSTITUTE FOR HUMANS IN RESEARch, THEN THAT’S A POWERFUL REASON NOT TO USE them. TO IMPLEMENT EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS AT ALL LEVELS Policy THAT REPLACE CURRENT ANIMAL MODELS WITH NEW AND The Animal Justice Party WILL STRIVE TO PUT AN END TO EffECTIVE technologies; MANY OF WHICH ALREADY Ex- THE CONfinement, PAIN AND DISTRESS INflICTED ON ANIMALS ist. FOR SCIENTIfiC Experimentation. WE OPPOSE THE USE OF . TO REVIEW PROJECT FUNDING PRIORITIES OF THE Fed- ANIMALS IN EXPERIMENTATION UNLESS IT CAN BE demon- ERAL GoVERNMENT’S RurAL INDUSTRIES ResearCH AND STRATED THAT THE EXPERIMENTATION WILL NOT HARM THE ani- DeVELOPMENT CorporATION TO ENSURE THERE IS NO MAL WILL BENEfiT RESEARCH AND THE INDIVIDUAL ANIMALS AND SUPPORT FOR ANIMALS USED AS RESOURces. involved. TO ENSURE THAT COMMERCIAL CHEMICAL PRoducts, in- Animals AS MODELS FOR HUMANS IN MEDICAL SCIENCE IS FRe- CLUDING CLEANING AGENTS AND TOILETRIES ARE CLEARLY QUENTLY MISLEADING AND WE SUPPORT NEW TECHNOLOGIES LABELLED TO INDICATE WHETHER THEY HAVE OR HAVE WITH IMPROVED PREDICTIVE POwer. As AN INTERIM mea- NOT BEEN TESTED ON animals. SURe, GoVERNMENTS AT ALL LEVELS HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY . TO IMMEDIATELY BAN THE USE OF STRAY DOGS AND TO PREVENT THE SUffERING OF ANIMALS OF ANY SPECIES FOR CATS IN ANIMAL RESEARch. RESEARch, WHETHER IT BE FOR SCIENTIfic, COMMERCIAL OR . TO phase-out ARC AND NHMRC FUNDING TOWARDS MILITARY purposes. EXPERIMENTS THAT INVOLVE THE USE OF animals, Ex- CEPT WHERE THERE ARE NET BENEfiTS TO THE ANIMALS concerned. KeY Objectives . TO REVIEW ARC AND NHMRC FUNDING TO ENSURE suit- BackgrOUND ABLE SUPPORT IS BEING PROVIDED FOR non-animal Experimentation. [under construction] Animal Law WORK TO ENTRENCH ANIMAL MISTREATMENT BY LEGALISING ACTIONS THAT WOULD BE ILLEGAL Codes OF PrACTICE IF DONE TO A COMPANION animal. CurrENTLY, ANIMAL WELFARE LAWS ARE ANTHRopocentric, Policy MEANING THEY ARE MORE PREOCCUPIED WITH HUMAN con- WE SEEK A NEW LEGAL SYSTEM FOR ANIMALS WHICH PROTECTS CERNS AND HUMAN GAINS THAN THEY ARE WITH THE Expe- THEIR RIGHT TO LIVE FREE FROM HUMAN harm. RIENCES OF animals. The VARIOUS EXISTING state-based WELFARE LAWS ARE DESIGNED TO ONLY GIVE ANIMALS SOME PROTECTION TO THE EXTENT THAT HUMANS MAY STILL EXPLOIT KeY Objectives OR CONSUME them. TO ESTABLISH A FEDERAL Animal Rights Commission TherE ARE MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CURRENT LEGAL sys- TO INVESTIGATE COMMERCIAL ANIMAL EXPLOITATION TEM SO THAT WHAT “APPEARS AT fiRST GLANCE TO BE A FAIRLY AND PROMOTE ANIMAL rights. ROBUST FRAMEWORK OF PROTECTIONS QUICKLY FADES AWAY . TO ABOLISH THE PROPERTY STATUS OF ANIMALS AND in- WHEN THE MYRIAD OF QUALIFYING terms, DEFENCES AND Ex- TRODUCE UNIFORM LEGISLATION PROTECTING ANIMALS EMPTIONS ARE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT”. The RESULT IS THAT FROM HUMAN INTERFERENCE OR harm. NO ANIMAL IS ADEQUATELY PROTECTED BY LAW. TO INTRODUCE A publicly-funded INDEPENDENT An- IMAL PrOTECTION Agency (IAPA) IN EACH STATE TO ENFORCE THE NEW legislation. FrOM WELFARE TO RIGHTS . TO FACILITATE INFORMATION SHARING BETWEEN LAW en- FORCEMENT AGENCIES TO STAMP OUT ANIMAL ABUSE TherE IS A SUBSTANTIAL DIffERENCE IN THE PROTECTIONS AND INTERPERSONAL violence. GIVEN TO WILD animals, COMPANION ANIMALS AND FARMED . TO ASSERT AustrALIAN SOVEREIGNTY OVER ALL LAWS PRo- animals. TECTING animals, REGARDLESS OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE TReaties, UNTIL TRADING NATIONS SIGN A Universal . Wild ANIMALS (so LONG AS THEY ARE NOT CONSIDERED Convention OF Non-Human Animal Rights. A “PEST”) ARE PROTECTED BY VARIOUS LAWS CONCERNING ENVIRONMENTAL conservation. Companion ANIMALS AND FARMED ANIMALS ARE BackgrOUND PROMISED PROTECTION FROM “CRUELTY” AND NEGLECT The AJP AIMS FOR A LEGAL SYSTEM THAT WILL PROTECT THE BY THE “Five FrEEDOMS” OF WELFARE UNDER state- RIGHTS OF BOTH HUMANS AND OTHER animals. WE WILL CRe- BASED legislation. This INCLUDES FREEDOM FROM ATE A JUSTICE SYSTEM THAT RESPECTS THE rights, INTERESTS HUNGER AND thirst; FROM discomfort; FROM pain, AND BODILY SECURITY OF all. INJURY OR disease; FROM FEAR AND DISTRess; AND TO GoodfelloW, J. (). Speciesism AND THE Law: HoW THE LEGAL SYSTEM ENTRENCHES ANIMAL DISCRIMINATION. PrESENTATION AT VOICELESS’ Rethinking: Speciesism, The University OF Queensland. EXPRESS NORMAL behaviour. But THE LAW ONLY Re- Meanwhile, INDUSTRIES WHICH EXPLOIT ANIMALS ARE typ- QUIRES HUMANS TAKE “REASONABLE STEPS” TO PROVIDE ICALLY REGULATED BY GOVERNMENT BODIES THAT ARE ALSO THESE FReedoms. This MEANS THAT ACTS DONE IN THE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ECONOMIC SUCCESS OF THOSE SAME PURSUIT OF SOME SOCIALLY ACCEPTED GOAL (likE busi- industries. This ARRANGEMENT CREATES PRESSURE TO KEEP ness) ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE CONSIDERED CRUELTY. ENFORCEMENT AT A BARE minimum. PrOfiT IS prioritised, . But FARMED ANIMALS HAVE THEIR LEGAL PROTECTIONS WITH ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES PREFERRING EDUCATION AND REMOVED BY INDUSTRY Codes OF PrACTICE WHICH con- GENTLE ATTEMPTS AT INDUSTRY compliance. PrOSECUTION DONE “STANDARD” harms. IF AN ANIMAL IS HARMED IN IS RESERVED ONLY FOR NOTORIOUS CASES WHICH ARE USUALLY A WAY THAT IS COVERED BY ONE OF THESE Codes, THEN EXPOSED TO THE MEDIA BY COMMUNITY AND ANIMAL RIGHTS THAT HARM IS LEGALLY NEITHER NEGLECT NOR CRUELTY. GRoups. Codes EXIST WHICH PERMIT ACTS THAT WOULD BE pun- Animals LIKE cats, FOXes, KANGARoos, AND BIRds, WHO ISHABLE UNDER WELFARE LEGISLATION WHEN DONE BY ARE SEEN AS VERMIN OR COMPETITORS FOR RESOURCES ARE farmers, slaughterhouses, BReeders, RACING clubs, hunted, POISONED AND TREATED WITH CONTEMPT REGARd- AND scientists. LESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE NATIVE OR INTRoduced. Sadly, CRUELTY SUffERED BY THESE ANIMALS IS applauded, NOT These CODES ARE WRITTEN BY THE SAME PEOPLE WHO PROfiT punished. FROM THAT ANIMAL Exploitation. TheY ARE DESIGNED TO The fiRST STEP IN THE TRANSITION TO A NEW, KINDER Aus- PLACE SUCH INDUSTRIES BEYOND ANY REAL PUBLIC OR LEGAL TRalia, IS THE INTRODUCTION OF A FEDERAL Animal Rights SCRUTINY. Commission (ARC). Relying ON THE Commonwealth’S CONSTITUTIONAL POWER TO REGULATE CORPORations, ARC WILL The AJP WILL INTRODUCE NEW UNIFORM LEGISLATION ACROSS BE CREATED TO INDEPENDENTLY INVESTIGATE AND OBJECTIVELY AustrALIA THAT GUARANTEES THE BODILY SECURITY OF non- REPORT ON THE COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION OF ANIMALS IN HUMAN ANIMALS WITH PROTECTION FROM UNDUE HUMAN Australia. ARC WILL PROVIDE AustrALIANS WITH RELIABLE in- INTERFERence.