Sometimes I feel that the election campaign is a lot like riding a rollercoaster. (Except that, let’s be honest, rollercoasters are way more fun.) The week before last I was so excited to hear that the Liberal Party had announced plans to provide $5 million to protect dugongs and turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, if elected. Yay! Since these beautiful, gentle animals are considered vulnerable to extinction, they need as much help as they can get.

However, my celebration was short-lived as, this week, Tony Abbott has declared that he will re-open marine protected areas for recreational fishing if he is elected. Ummm ... what? Tony, researchers have predicted that there will be no fish left by 2048 due to overfishing. By that time this election will be a thing of the past, and your friends from the Australian Fishing Trade Show will have long forgotten about your promise, but future generations of Australians will not forgive us for handing them an empty ocean.

Imagine a world without fish? Not only are they vital to the ecosystem, there is a lot more to fish than people realise. Australian crimson spotted rainbowfish are even able to learn to escape from a net, and still remember how to do it 11 months later! So much for fish having short memories. That’s the equivalent to a human remembering something they were taught 40 years ago. (I can’t even remember how to do high school algebra!)

And now Abbott wants to remove some of the very little protection that fish get. You can help fish, and all other animals, by knowing which political parties are promising to put animal welfare on the agenda this election. There’s a really handy guide here. You might like to follow it up with a visit to Dennis the Election Koala to find out exactly how to make your vote count most for animals.

Still got questions? Maybe I can help. Leave a comment below and I’ll do my best :)

What do all the boxes mean? How can I make my vote count most for animals? Why aren't 'hugs' on the election agenda? Everything I know about preferential voting I learnt from Dennis the Election Koala and Ken the Voting Dingo.

(Note: There's a few rude words in this, and a cartoon dingo gets slapped, so if that's not your cup of tea you might want to click here for something lovely instead.)

(Hmm ... 'ban live export' must've slipped off the bottom of the page there. Do you know where your MP stands on important animal welfare policies? Click here to help put animals on the political map by submitting a report for your local member.)

(Source: chickennation.com)

Thanks Dennis! (Want to do your bit for koalas like Dennis? Click here to help stop the tragic suffering of koalas in Vic and SA due to the carelessness of timber companies.)

What other policies do you think Plom should look into?

07.09.2013 = election day. Which means for the next month, there is going to be one question on everyone’s mind: which of Australia’s Next Top Prime Ministers has the X Factor to win Project Election Runway? To help us get through a month of non-stop ads with politicians holding smiling babies and super-fast-authorisation-messages at the end, I’ve come up with four 2013 election games to make this season of federal campaigning the funnest yet!

This Is The Voice Chart:

Let’s face it, when all the pollies wear the same shade of blue, it can be tough to figure out the difference between the lot of them. ABC’s Vote Compass gives you a chance to turn away from the faces on the screen and really figure out which one has the ‘it factor’ for you. Hit your buzzer on the issues that matter to you and the Vote Compass will clearly map out which of the three major political parties is the best match for what you care about. Click here to find out who is your perfect (political) match.

My favourite part of The Chart is this question: ‘Live animal exports should be banned.’ Live export has officially made it through the battle rounds and in to the top 30 issues on the political agenda. Why? Thanks to you! Which brings me to my next favourite 2013 election campaign game ...

The Amazing BLE Race:

Last month we reached one million actions taken against live export! That’s one million times that people have spoken up for the victims of this cruel trade, such as Jacob, Dudley, Tommy, Brian, Bill and Arthur.

But the race is not over! (And the action counter has certainly not slowed down.) You can join the amazing race to ban live export by heading here to complete challenges and track your progress. (Don’t forget to get your best race buddy in on it too!)

Minute To Get In It:

Normally in Minute To Win It the challenges are a lot harder than they seem. Well, Minute To Get In It is actually as simple as it sounds! ‘Get in what?’ I hear you asking. Get in the greatest game of all time – the game of Australian politics. Ok, that might be slightly OTT but if you haven’t done so already, click here to register to vote. Voting is the easiest way to have your say about the things that are important to you. You need to enrol before Monday 12 August in order to win. What’s the prize? The opportunity to be heard at tribal council in Australian politics! Yay!

And last but not least,

Who wore it better?

NOTE: Animals Australia now has a neat political map to help you find out how animal-friendly your electorate is. Click here to write a ‘report card’ for your MP and put animals on the political map.

A bill to abolish factory farming has been passed! Ok, ok, so I should mention that it’s not exactly Australian legislation. (Yet.) Remember the girls from Ivanhoe Girls Grammar School who decided to speak up for animals in Victorian Youth Parliament? Well, on Tuesday 2nd July at 3.30 pm, young representatives from schools all over Australia voted ‘YES’ to an end to factory farming. And now I’m even more convinced that teenagers are best equipped to run the country ;)

The bill, which aims to abolish factory farming by the year 2030, will now be passed on to state and federal ministers for consideration. More than 25 bills that have passed through Youth Parliament have gone on to become Victorian legislation. I've got all my fingers and toes crossed that one day this becomes number 26.

These six caring and compassionate individuals from Ivanhoe Girls have made a very clear statement to our politicians that young people care about the way animals are treated and want a better life for them in future. Here’s to a world where mother pigs are not confined to cages too small for them to even turn around and battery hens are not kept in darkness for their whole lives. Let’s hope our pollies listen up to the girls from Ivanhoe and the youth of Australia.

This just goes to show that every single person can make a difference and help to be the voice for animals. But did you know that more than half a million 18-24 year aren't enrolled to vote? That means half a million young people are missing out on the opportunity to be heard in Australian politics. 500,000 votes can make a BIG difference!

With a Federal election coming up before the end of the year, now is the time to make sure you can have your say about what matters to you and use your vote to help create a kinder world for animals. If you haven’t done so already, click on the image below to enrol:

Today the Catalonian Government in Spain is voting on whether or not to ban bullfighting in that region. And here's some numbers they can't ignore:

Over 120 countries around the world have voiced their support for a ban, with the parliament receiving over 140,000 signatures and emails (including nearly a thousand from Unleashed members!) to back this up. Local people too, have had their say with over 180,000 Catalans expressing that this outdated 'tradition' is nothing but animal cruelty.

Numbers aside there is simply no excuse to torture an animal in the name of entertainment.

If this ban is approved, Catalonia will stand apart from the rest of Spain with a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and if you are one of the many to speak up for the bulls - THANK YOU!

Unleashed is keeping a close eye on the outcome of the vote and will let you know the news as soon as possible! Watch this space!

We need your help!! The nine new super-cool Unleashed badge designs are in, but the bosses are telling us that right now we can only produce three! Eek! We can't decide, so, we want YOU to decide for us...

Which of these do you want to see in the Unleashed shop? Leave a comment below with your top three, and help to make your fave Unleashed badge designs a reality!