Letter to the editor
First published in the Townsville Bulletin:
by Ondine Sherman

I refer to Fiona Lake’s letter dated 6 June describing Voiceless as an ‘animal rights extremist organisation’.

Voiceless is an independent non-profit think tank dedicated to alleviating the suffering of animals in Australia.  Our organisation represents an increasing number of mainstream Australians from all walks of life who believe in the values of respect and compassion for animals.

Voiceless promotes debate and discussion about animal cruelty issues in Australia. In our opinion, the real ‘extremists’ are the small minority who are unwilling to engage in intelligent public debate about how millions of intelligent, sentient animals should be treated in our country. They want to silence those who are addressing hard social issues by sidelining and demonising them. 

Voiceless advocates for clear product labelling and encourages consumers to question and analyse the products they buy to ensure that they meet their ethical and moral values. We think it is ‘extreme’ to believe, as some people seem to, that farm animals are mere production units without the ability to experience pain and suffering in intensive factory farming systems and, in some cases, to oppose moves to improve public access to basic information about their food purchases.

Decide for yourself if protecting animals from cruelty is ‘extreme’ by getting informed about animal protection in Australia at www.voiceless.org.au

Ondine Sherman
Joint Managing Director
Voiceless, Paddington

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