Broken Promises: Victoria Shelves Long-Awaited Animal Cruelty Prevention Laws
The Victorian government has quietly shelved plans to introduce new laws recognizing animal sentience and raising care requirements, despite a decade-long push for reform.
Exclusive: A Labor bill that would have recognized all animals as sentient beings and imposed higher standards of care will not be introduced before the upcoming state election, dashing hopes for long-promised animal welfare reforms.
Warning: This article contains graphic content.
From a bulldog trapped on a balcony, living among its own feces, to a Maltese shih tzu beaten with a metal pole whose attacker was spared jail, Victoria has seen its share of disturbing cases of animal cruelty. These are the kinds of incidents the state government vowed to address nearly a decade ago with new legislation, but Guardian Australia can now reveal those reforms have been indefinitely shelved.
Source: The Guardian
