What Does the Federal Election Outcome Mean for Animals?
This is a pivotal moment for animal welfare in Australia.
The recent landslide victory of the Albanese government marks a pivotal moment for animal welfare in Australia. With a clear mandate from the Australian people, there is an unprecedented opportunity to prioritise and improve the lives of animals, ensuring a compassionate and ethical approach to their treatment.
This election, many voters cast their ballots with animals in their minds and hearts, expecting the Albanese Labor government to deliver a bolder, better, and braver policy agenda for animals.
And there is a lot of work to do.
Here in Australia, the treatment of animals — whether in farming, ‘entertainment’, in the wild, or companion animal sales — continues to lag behind public expectations and falls short of global standards.
It's time to confront the harsh reality
Australia still permits many outdated and cruel practices that must end now. Lambs endure painful live lamb cutting (mulesing), and we remain complicit in the global fur trade through imports and sales. Millions of battery hens are confined in cages, and we are destroying forests and natural habitats to expand animal agriculture. Even our treatment of dogs and puppies is woefully inadequate as online puppy sales remain largely unregulated. These practices must be consigned to history and firmly outlawed to reflect our shared commitment to animal welfare.
This election result reaffirms what Australians have been saying for years: we want better for animals, and we expect our laws to reflect that.
FOUR PAWS will push the government to go further.
Key Animal Welfare Issues in Australia
At FOUR PAWS, we are committed to ending these outdated and cruel practices that continue to plague animal welfare in Australia.
Our Federal Election Priorities
Ahead of the election, FOUR PAWS Australia called on all political parties to commit to action in five key areas of urgent animal welfare reform:
- Phasing out live lamb cutting (mulesing) by legislating an end date and supporting wool producers to transition to humane alternatives.
- Banning the import and sale of fur, which continues to fuel cruel and outdated industries overseas.
- Integrating One Health into national pandemic prevention policy, recognising the role of intensive farming and wildlife exploitation in zoonotic disease risk.
- Regulating the online pet trade, including national standards to address puppy farming, unethical breeding, and scams.
- Banning the use of wild animals in circuses, a practice already outlawed in over 50 countries and whilst there are currently no circuses with wild animals operating in Australia it is still legal to do so and there is nothing preventing a circus with lions and monkeys from operating in Australia.
FOUR PAWS has been actively engaging with the Albanese government, advocating for stronger animal protection laws and policies. We are raising awareness and pushing for legislative changes, but there is still so much work to be done. With the government's decisive victory, we have a unique opportunity to collaborate more closely and achieve meaningful reforms.
As a proud member of the Australian Alliance for Animals, FOUR PAWS also welcomes the animal welfare commitments made by the Albanese Government in response to the Alliance’s pre-election scorecard. These include:
- Phasing Out Live Sheep Exports by May 2028 through legislation
- Establishing a National Animal Welfare Commission to provide independent advice and coordinate national standards
- Investing $14 million over four years into the Australian Animal Welfare Strategy
- Expanding the hunting trophy import ban to cover all CITES-listed species
- Creating a formal animal welfare trade policy to guide future agreements
- These are strong and meaningful commitments — but they must be followed through with legislative action and robust enforcement.
Australia must do better for animals, and the Albanese Government now has a clear opportunity to deliver.
FOUR PAWS will continue to engage and work with the government to deliver better outcomes for animals and fighting for a world where animal are treated with respect empathy and understanding.
Because a better future for animals is a better future for us all.
