- Animals
- Arts
- Biological Diversity
- Childcare
- Children and Young People
- Climate Change and Energy
- Community Participation in Government
- Constitutional Reform and Democracy
- Corporate Governance
- Disability
- Drugs, Substance Abuse and Addiction
- Economics
- Education
- Employment and Industrial Relations
- Environmental Principles
- Genetically Manipulated Organisms
- Global Economics
- Global Governance
- Health
- Housing
- Human Rights
- Immigration and Refugees
- Indigenous Australians
- International Relations
- Justice
- Marine and Coastal Areas
- Media and Communications
- Multiculturalism
- Natural Resources
- Nuclear
- Older People
- Overseas Aid
- Peace and Security
- Population
- Science and Technology
- Sexuality and Gender Identity
- Social Services
- Sport and Physical Recreation
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Sustainable Planning and Transport
- Waste
- Water and Inland Aquatic Environments
- Women
Principles
The Australian Greens believe that:
- animals have intrinsic value, separate from the needs of humans who have a responsibility to ensure that animals’ rights are respected.
- we have a duty of care to minimise cruelty to animals resulting from human activity.
- native animals and their habitats must be protected.
Goals
The Australian Greens want:
- the protection of native animals, and the restoration and extension of their current natural habitats.
- the most humane and effective means available to be used in the control of introduced and pest species, including humane population management methods.
- an end to cruel and unnecessary animal experimentation.
- increased community understanding of the impacts of consumer choices on animal welfare and on the environment.
Measures
The Australian Greens will:
- strengthen national animal welfare legislation that prohibits cruelty and ensures that acts of cruelty are treated as criminal offences.
- legislate to protect the welfare of agricultural animals, including conditions of transport and captivity.
- end the export of live animals for consumption.
- phase out intensive farming practices in meat, dairy and egg production.
- develop an enforceable Australian standard for free-range farming practices for all agricultural animals.
- ban the use of animals as experimental objects in military and industrial research, and in cosmetics testing.
- ban genetic engineering involving animals, including reproductive cloning.
- ban the importation of animal products produced by methods which do not accord with Australian standards.
- ban the importation of animals for zoos, except where the importation will assist the overall conservation of the species.
- ban the exportation of animals to jurisdictions where levels of legislative protection are below those of Australia.
- work for improved global conservation of habitat for endangered species through Australia’s trade, diplomatic and aid relations.
- ban the use or display of wild animals, and phase out the use of domesticated animals, in circuses.
- ensure that trade agreements do not undermine Australian animal welfare standards.
- promote an accurate national labelling system that identifies products that are ‘cruelty-free’.
- support the research, development and implementation of more humane methods of introduced pest and introduced species management and control.
- foster community education about the needs of animals and our responsibilities to them.
- support a ban on commercial whaling in accordance with the Australian Greens Policy on Marine and Coastal Environments.
Issued: June 2008
Authorised and printed by Derek Schild, Australian Greens, 8-10 Hobart Place Canberra 2601
