Australian Companion Right Fight

The Issue

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The Issue

New South Wales, Australia, recently implemented laws to ban anyone who has abused an animal from ever owning or working with another animal. I've started this petition to get the Australian state government to follow suit for all states but with some additional stronger laws, as detailed below.

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Dear Minister for Agriculture,

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NSW has recently implemented laws to ban people charged with animal abuse from ever owning or working with another animal. It is the first state in Australia to implement such laws, which follows other changes to cruelty laws such as jail time and fines of up to $110,000. 

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I have started this petition to ask your government to implement similar laws, but with additions.

1. I would like all states to implement laws to ban anyone who has abused an animal from ever owning or working with an animal again. 

2. Australia should lead the way for other countries to follow suit as Sweden has already paved the way and NSW already has a register of animal abusers, similar to the sex offenders register, so anyone selling an animal can access this register and see if the person they're selling to is on this register. 

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3. Like NSW, animal abusers should get jail time, however, I would like the sentences to reflect the heinous nature of their crimes. There should be a mandatory minimum of five years for any deliberate animal neglect, and abuse should carry a seven-year sentence. These sentences need to be long to not only deter people from abusing animals, but also because it is widely accepted that people who abuse animals often move on to abusing people. So, these people need to be placed on a register and jailed so they can be given psychological interventions.

4. Again, like NSW, people who abuse animals need to be fined, however I do not believe $110,000 is enough of a deterrent to others who abuse animals. I believe the fines should be at least double, if not triple, that amount. The fines need to be a severe deterrent to people. Also, if people claim they cannot pay, jail and community service should not be an alternative. Jail should be an accepted addition to the fines. Then once they are released, if they are on job seeker, they have those payments garnished to repay the fine. If they get a job, they get their wages garnished to repay the fine. So, there is no escaping repaying the fine.

5. Backyard breeders shouldn’t be allowed to operate as its overwhelming shelters and many animals are being euthanatized and therefore should be tough penalties for those who do so knowly.

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I'm not asking for it to be mandatory completely...I'm asking to only make it mandatory to people that keep breeding unnecessary litters because they just don't care about their animals and the wellbeing of these litters and the strain it creates on shelters... im only asking it to be mandatory for people whom reach the third strike and are unable to control themselves.

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I'm wanting to limit back yard breeders so that it eases the strain on shelters... 

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1st strike - 1st warning which the offender added to another separate registry- Australia wide accessed registry so all vets, councils and appropriate persons can access and share information across all states.

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2nd strike - 10,000 - $30,000 fine

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3rd strike- The offender now is required to desex all animals owned as of now and any new animals in the future and is now permanently on an Australia wide registry. (that is assessable to all vet clinics and councils and the appropriate persons needing access to Australia wide mandatory desexing LIST/REGISTRY) The offender Must comply and failure to comply will result in jail sentence of a minimum of 3years and or fined $110,000.

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If, however, the person does not re-offend after 5years from the 1st warning they may be removed from the registry.

We would like to see licensed breeders have tougher restrictions of the number of litters they are allowed every year.

I have developed this petition to show your office how many people feel strongly about implementation of animal abuse laws in this country, and in this world, as there are people who have signed this petition from in Australia and outside Australia. 

Please be a leader like Sweden and NSW and implement similar but better laws, and let's help stop people from repeatedly being given the opportunity to abuse animals.

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These laws should have been implemented many years ago, however we cannot turn back time, so let's do what we can do now.

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Thank you for your time.​​​​​​

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