On Friday, 15th of December 2023, the Victorian government released draft legislation on the Animal Welfare Bill, which is set to replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986.

Within this bill, activities such as hunting, particularly recreational deer hunting, are acknowledged as legitimate and valued pursuits; they receive an exception from the new bill and will continue as normal. There will also be no change to how or who regulates hunting.

Any proposed regulatory change is a separate process.

Throughout this process, it has been evident that there was going to be a shift in the framing of the legislation towards viewing animals through a sentient lens.

This raised cause for concern, as often an argument around animal sentience can be used to drive alternative ideologies regarding the role of animals within society, even so far as the concept of legal rights.

Often, this can be used as a stalking horse to attack recreational activities, such as fishing and hunting, with both activities being "excepted" from the draft.

Pleasingly, such attempts were unsuccessful in negatively influencing this critical component of the draft bill.

The draft bill can be read here, a guide to the draft bill can be found here, and a map of the draft bill can be found here.

Additional material can also be found on the Engage Victoria website.

Previous submissions made on the draft:

From Five Freedoms to Speciesism

Animal Welfare Plan Submission (VIC)