RSPCA Australia has called on the next Australian Government to make animal welfare a high priority.

Launching RSPCA Australia‚Äôs Federal Election priorities today, Chair Gary Humphries said that there were  three priorities to improve animal welfare that the next Australian Government could do something about, and which had strong community support:

¬∑         The Australian Government must reinstate its leadership role in animal welfare and dedicate resources to a new national framework

¬∑         The Government must announce a policy of working with industry to expand the share of Australia‚Äôs export trade represented by chilled and frozen meat, and reduce that represented by live exports

¬∑         The Government must introduce legislation that will ensure no cosmetics tested on animals can be manufactured or sold in Australia

‚ÄúFederal leadership is critical to ensure there is continuous improvement, co-ordination and consistency in animal welfare standards. Australia recently received an unacceptable ‚ÄòC‚Äôgrade in the international Animal Protection Index which ranked countries according to their legislation and policy commitments to protect animals.  We should be better than this.

“RSPCA Australia is strongly opposed to the live export industry because of the cruel treatment of animals on ships and in slaughterhouses overseas. Valued at an average $901 million, it represents a small proportion of our meat exports, which are valued at over $6 billion.

 ‚ÄúRSPCA Australia has also called on the Coalition and the Greens to support the Ethical Cosmetics Bill 2016 introduced by the ALP this week.

“Recent research shows that 85 per cent of Australians oppose the testing of cosmetics on animals. 27,000 animals are used every year for testing products like lipstick and shampoo.

 ‚ÄúRSPCA‚Äôs election policies are a direct result of the issues Australians talk to us about, and it would be wise for candidates to listen to them.‚Äù