Australian Animal Justice Party stops draconian laws that attack whistle-blowers who expose animal cruelty

Thanks to Andy Meddick, Member of Parliament for the Animal Justice Party in Victoria (Australia), last week the Victorian parliament rejected laws that attack whistle-blowers who expose routine animal cruelty. This is another successful defeat of so-called ag-gag laws, laws that forbid the act of undercover filming or photography of activity on farms, particularly targeting whistle-blowers of animal rights abuses at these facilities.

Andy Meddick, Member of Parliament for the Animal Justice Party in the Australian state of Victoria.

Andy Meddick: "Across Australia, some less-enlightened parliaments already have or are moving to implement similar laws in an attempt to cover up routine animal cruelty. But here in Victoria, we’ve sent a message: brutality and unjust laws will not defeat us."

Worldwide, the livestock industry is trying to hide animal suffering happening between the industry's walls, by attacking animal rights defenders who are trying to show what's happening. Meddick called on his parliamentary colleagues to now tackle the real problem: animal cruelty.

Meddick: "Of course, we know the reason activists do this work is not because they want to break law, but rather because they are compelled to expose the routine, legalised cruelty in our farming systems that the industry has worked so hard to hide from consumers. It’s not just me who says this – but experts too. The inquiry into animal activism in Victoria has heard laws just like this are not just a bad idea, but possibly unconstitutional, from no less than the Law Institute of Victoria. It is overwhelmingly clear that we must criminalise animal cruelty – not those who expose it."

Meddick’s whole speech can be watched here.