Labor Cat-Calling Victorians
Western Victoria MP Bev McArthur used an adjournment debate during this week’s sitting of Parliament to ask the Minister for Agriculture about forthcoming animal welfare legislation.
The Victorian Government has recently commissioned a phone survey on animal welfare, according to one pollster, in preparation for “new proposed animal welfare legislation”.
Mrs McArthur said, “While we’re all under house arrest, children are banned from going to school and 250 000 Victorians are unemployed, with another 350,000 forecasted for coming months, this government’s priorities lie in surveying people on their views about animal sentience.”
“Surely there are more urgent matters that Victoria’s public servants could be focused on in this crisis, given that they are just about the only ones left employed these days. And surely scarce taxpayer dollars could be better deployed elsewhere — especially to struggling small businesses.”
One survey question even asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement: ‘Animals should have the same rights as humans’.
Mrs McArthur said, “I’m sure many respondents were left wondering what rights they themselves had been left with, given the current abuse of human rights by government edicts based on restrictive emergency lockup and curfew powers, never mind the welfare of animals.”
The content and purpose of the new animal welfare legislation has not yet been publicised.
Mrs McArthur said, “If the government is planning to introduce new animal welfare legislation, it ought to be open and transparent about it.”
“Victoria does not need more animal welfare legislation and regulation. What we do need is better protection and support for farmers against activists and costly bureaucratic intervention. At this time if pandemic, farmers and associated meat processors are keeping the state and nation fed while suffering from a shutdown of their export markets.”
Mrs McArthur asked the Minister for Agriculture to “reveal what this new proposed animal welfare legislation relates to, including the cost and real reasoning behind this phone survey.”
18 September 2020