Why Doesn’t Labor Support the Animals Bill?
April 10, 2008 by admin
Please print, sign and send the letter at the bottom of this article.
An enormous THANK YOU to the many thousands of people who have contacted their MP either through this site or independently. We have received very positive feedback from NSW politicians, however we still have a long way to go and we must keep this pressure up!
In order for the bill to be passed we need the support of the Labor MPs. But from the letters that people are receiving it quite clear that the MPs have been instructed to not vote in favour of the bill. Even if this means ignoring the groundswell of support coming from their constituents.
So where is Labor’s information coming from?
When the bill was first put before Parliament in October 2007 Ian Macdonald, Minister for the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), issued a brief to each Labor MP stating the following concerns:
• ‘There are an estimated 30 000 working cattle and sheep dogs in rural NSW, which are an essential part of farming life. Under the proposed bill working dogs could not be bred or advertised for sale.’
• ‘The published figures on companion animals in NSW suggest that less than 11 percent of dogs and cats are sold from pet shops. Therefore, banning the sale of animals from pet shops will have minimal impact on the numbers of cats and dogs recruited to pounds and shelters in NSW.’
• ‘The proposed bill bans the sale of all mammals, which would include mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and the like, in pet shops. NSW families wanting a pet mouse would be required to acquire the animal through a registered breeder, have the mouse microchipped and register themselves as breeders with an unspecified organisation, should their pet mice breed ad they wish to sell them. These restrictions would severely limit peoples freedom to or and breed their pet.’
But these points are not correct, and the statistics quoted have come from the pet industry itself, which at best implies a serious conflict of interest. Below is the real picture:
• The Bill has been amended to exclude Farmers wishing to breed and sell their working dogs from the proposed legislation.
• This statistic is false and has been taken widely out of context. The study from which this statistic was derived was conducted in Victoria in 2005 using 424 voluntary participants. It cannot then be concluded that this study reflects the unique consumer trends of NSW. But even if parallels could be drawn, the study itself was not conducted using a representative sample size nor were the subjects randomly selected, breeching the basic principles of statistics.
• The Bill is being ammended to only prohibit pet shops from selling cats and dogs, allowing them to continue selling small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and mice.
Due to their very busy schedules not many Labor MPs have actually had the time to read the bill. What is of great concern, is that they have instead relied on Ian Macdonald to give them correct and up to date information to determine Labor’s policy and how they will vote.
But if the issues they have listed are incorrect and the data no longer valid, why is the Department of Primary Industries still not in support of the bill?
Download the below letter and send it to your local MP if they are Labor, or simply send it to Morris Iemma. It refutes the claims made by the DPI, and it asks Labor politicians to question Ian Macdonald’s motivations. Is he placing the commercial interests of an industry over the needs of the community and the welfare of its animals?
urgent-letter-to-send-labor-mps.doc
Мде …
Я думаю, что Вы не правы. Давайте обсудим. Пишите мне в PM….
Кажется, это подойдет….
Менеджер по работе с клиентами An enormous THANK YOU to the many thousands of people who have contacted their MP either through this site or independently…..
Это не имеет аналогов?…
Менеджер An enormous THANK YOU to the many thousands of people who have contacted their MP either through this site or independently…..