Justice for animals in Australian politics?
Features | Christina Cox | Sunday, 20 June 2010
Part 1 of aduki's feature on the recently formed Animal Justice Party.
Unsure of what to expect from an interview with a representative of the newly formed Animal Justice Party, I was heartened when an hour prior to our meeting, I received a text message from my interviewee, Mark, that read “I’m the one who looks just like Johnny Depp.”
When I eventually found Mark, he wasn’t exactly like Johnny Depp, but he certainly wasn’t the stereotypical animal rights activist I was expecting either: no shaggy hair, no polar-fleece, and definitely no pictures of tortured animals.
Over a coffee with Mark, I learned that the Animal Justice Party is certainly differentiating itself from grassroots animal liberation groups. The Animal Justice Party’s aim is not to exclude activist groups from the political arena. However, as a political party, Mark says that the Animal Justice Party’s main goal differs somewhat from the goals of animal welfare groups, due to its focus on garnering governmental support for animal welfare through elected representatives in parliament. Indeed, simply having an Animal Justice Party candidate’s name on ballot papers at election time, even if they are not elected, could have some effect on the prominence of animal welfare issues in future political discourse.
According to Mark, the strategies and goals of many animal welfare activist groups include lobbying, investigating animal cruelty and educating people about animal welfare. However, the Animal Justice Party is different, Mark says, because of its focus is on being active in parliament, encouraging discussions about animal welfare, and ultimately, influencing legislation to do with the humane treatment of animals.
Mark, whose role in the Animal Justice Party is as vice-president of the committee, says that throughout its formation, the Party has had to perform a balancing act between its prioritisation of animal welfare, and other key concerns that don’t necessarily have a direct link to the treatment of animals. For example, Mark says that as well as animal welfare, the Animal Justice Party is concerned with issues of a “broad ethical concern,” including the welfare of largely “voiceless” Australians, such as homeless and disabled people and Indigenous Australians.
The Animal Justice Party has come to the attention of some prominent political parties, namely, the Democrats and the Greens. Mark believes that the Animal Justice Party has attracted people who are dissatisfied with the major political parties’ handling of animal welfare issues. Indeed, the Animal Justice Party has attracted just over 600 members since September 2009. To be sure, the Animal Justice Party is small, but when you need 500 members in your political party to register with the Australian Electoral Commission to run in a federal election, engaging 600 members is definitely a boon. Mark is confident that the Party, while specialized in its focus, has a broad enough appeal to garner more support from the wider community.
But, I hear you ask, what exactly does the Animal Justice Party stand for? What are the key issues it plans to campaign on? And who will vote for them? I'll do my best to answer these questions in the next installment of this fascinating feature on the Animal Justice Party! Stay tuned, folks!
Link to article:
http://aduki.net.au/online/38-features/371-justice-for-animals-in-australian-politics
Link to AJP page:
http://www.animaljusticeparty.org/Welcome.html 
