Lawyers for Animals has completed the first part of their project by developing a short survey to gauge public awareness about the issue of animal testing in the cosmetics industry. We encourage you to take the survey, which should only take a few minutes, and to circulate it to as many of your colleagues and friends as possible.

The results of the survey will help found Lawyers for Animals’ report on animal testing in the cosmetics industry which will be published in the coming months.

The team at Choose Cruelty Free (CCF) have produced an eye-catching, informative and easy to read booklet aimed at students, entitled ‘Cruelty Free Cozmeticz?’. The booklet covers the following topics:  history of animal testing of cosmetics; search for alternatives in safety testing; current legislative changes in the EU; the Australian situation. CCF will be implementing some exciting initiatives in the coming months to promote the booklet. To obtain a copy and to find out where you can buy cruelty free products, visit the CCF website.


The ‘Say No to Animals in Circuses’ campaign is keeping the pressure on government and local councils to ban animal circuses. Their website, is an informative and entertaining site where you can read the latest news updates, sign the on-line petition, play a fun ‘Free the Circus Animals’ game and add your photo to the ‘No No No’ gallery. Flyers will be available for download soon, and will be distributed by RPSCA Qld’s Education Mobile Unit.  Be sure to look up ‘Say No to Animals in Circuses’ on Facebook too!

Friends of the Hound have used their $2,500 grant to create glossy posters promoting greyhounds as model pets.  According to Friends of the Hound, each year in Australia thousands of greyhounds are destroyed because they are considered surplus to greyhound racing industry requirements. Friends of the Hound work very hard to save these animals from death row and find them loving homes.  Visit their website to view the posters and contact Friends of the Hound if you would like to help distribute them in your local area, or even foster or adopt a greyhound!

Coalition Against Duck Shooting Update November 2008:  The Victorian government will make a decision on the 2009 recreational duck shooting season sometime in December - probably before Christmas. The shooters are desperate for another season and are pushing hard. The recreational shooting of native waterbirds was cancelled in Victoria in 2007 and 2008 due to low waterbird numbers and drought. Conditions have not improved. You can help persuade Premier Brumby to ban the activity permanently or at least call another moratorium in 2009. Please follow this link to make your voice heard: www.saveourwaterbirds.org

The first issue of the ‘Australian Animal Protection Law Journal’ was published in July 2008 and contains a selection of thought-provoking articles by leading members of the Australian animal law community. For further details, see Voiceless’s Animal Law News.

The $5,000 grant awarded to the Vegan Society of NSW enabled the 3^rd Annual VeganExpo to be held at a large and prominent venue – Wharf 8, Sydney. The Expo was a huge success, attended by over 1,500 people, and featured stalls from animal protection groups, cruelty free clothing and cosmetic brands, as well as delicious food. Speakers included Voiceless director Brian Sherman AM, Voiceless Animal Advocates (VAA) Ambassador Lindsay McDougall, Darren Cordeaux from popular Aussie band Kisschasy and Lee Rhiannon MLC.

PetRescue is committed to re-homing unwanted companion animals and raising awareness about puppy farming in Australia. With the assistance of a $10,000 grant, PetRescue ran an extremely clever advertising campaign on the Ninemsn homepage and news pages, which directed people to the website www.wheredopuppiescomefrom.com.au. Their campaign has made a significant impact on the public and media, and led to PetRescue teaming up with Pet Stock stores to offer an adoption service for abandoned animals as an alternative to selling puppies and kittens. Be sure to visit their informative website and look them up on Facebook too.

The booklet Eating Up the World, has now been released by the Vegetarian Network Victoria. The booklet highlights some of the key problems that are facing our planet and us, shedding some light on the current condition of the environment and what the future holds.  Effective solutions are offered that can easily be implemented to make improvements to the sustainability of our environment and reduce animal suffering.  To read Eating Up the World, please download a pdf of it by clicking on the cover image on the right.

Update May 2009:  Animal Liberation NSW has just released A Shot in the Dark, its report on kangaroo harvesting .  This report is the culmination of investigations by Animal Liberation NSW in response to serious concerns about animal welfare, environmental sustainability and health standards relating to the commercial kangaroo industry.    Animal Liberation is providing the report to Australia’s key or potential exporters of kangaroo meat – the European Union, China and the Russian Federation.  To download a pdf of this report, please follow this link. 

Dr Shan Lloyd of the University of Queensland, who was awarded a 2007 grant for $8,000 towards a feasibility study into the introduction of an Educational Memorial Program (the supply of ‘ethically’ sourced cadavers to replace the use of healthy shelter animals in teaching practice).    Although there was some hesitancy from both the veterinary community and academic staff at the School of Veterinary Sciences, enough support was gained during the feasibility study to establish a small trial body donation program with those clinics willing to participate.  Well done Shan!  

Animals Australia has recently updated and reprinted (April 2009) the Handbook of Australian Animal Cruelty Law authored by Malcolm Caulfied and first published in 2008.  This book is the first of its kind to draw together comparison and criticism to animal legislation on both state and federal levels.

The handbook outlines the many inconsistencies evident in Australia’s protection laws for farm animals, live exports and even animals in the wild; particularly highlighting the laws failure to protect those ‘exposed to the greatest risk of cruelty’. 

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