Lisa Singh

SENATOR THE HON LISA SINGH

LABOR SENATOR FOR TASMANIA

CO-CHAIR, PARLIAMENTARY FRIENDS OF THE RSPCA

Today with Senator Derryn Hinch I moved a motion in the Senate urging the Turnbull government to strengthen the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry, promote the implementation of CCTV and the appointment of animal welfare officers in all Australian abattoirs, and encourage state governments – including Tasmania’s – to prosecute and strongly sanction animal cruelty.

We moved the motion because the draft animal welfare standards released by the Turnbull government this week for public consultation will not meet the expectations of the Tasmanian community.

In fact, they have been described by the RSPCA as “embarrassing” and “not based on science or evidence”.

I am dismayed and disappointed by the recent 7:30 report showing hens being mutilated and boiled alive in a Victorian slaughterhouse.

Australia’s existing standards are not strong enough to ensure the basic welfare of chickens, while the new draft standards proposed by the government comprehensively fail to meet community expectations.

Despite 84% of Australians supporting an end to battery cage factory farming, these draft standards do not progress the phasing out of the practice.

I am calling on the Hodgman government to review Tasmania’s dated Animal Welfare Act 1993 (Tas), improve the its regulations of abattoirs and and build on the work Lara Giddings’ government undertook to make Tasmania completely battery-cage-free.

Tasmanians should be confident that the local poultry products they consume have been humanely farmed and not subjected to torture and abuse.

WEDNESDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2017

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