Cassy O'Connor MP | Greens Leader and Animal Welfare spokesperson
The announcement that Australia has scored a 'D' in the Animal Protection Index will dismay every Tasmanian who cares about the welfare of animals.
Of the 36 OECD Countries in the World, only Japan scored worse with an 'E'. Australia matches Canada, the USA, Chile, Korea and Turkey for second last. It’s a shameful record and Tasmania is part of it.
Meanwhile 29, or 80%, of OECD countries perform better than us.
Particularly troubling is the fact that Australia scored 'G', the lowest possible rating, for government accountability for animal welfare.
We see that here in Tasmania, with government winding back the Labor Green Government policy on battery hens and reversal of the ban on 1080.
The Liberals here are complicit in cruelty towards animals in the racing industries, they issue many thousands of licenses to kill native animals each year and refuse to support including the mental suffering of animals in the Animal Welfare Act 1993, as the Greens have tried to do.
This bottom of the class on animal welfare result for Australia highlights the desperate need for Tasmania to appoint a Commissioner for Animal Welfare, in line with Greens policy, and to support our amendment bill that strengthens protections for all animals in Tasmania.