Animal Welfare

The Hon. B.R. HOOD (15:12): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development on animal rights.

Leave granted.

The Hon. B.R. HOOD:The Guardian reported recently that a draft animal care and protection act will soon be released for public consultation in Victoria and that it will be the first Australian state to explicitly recognise that animals are sentient beings. The act is expected to cover more species than is currently the case, and that will include octopus, squid, cuttlefish, lobster, crab and crayfish.

Because of the widespread potential impacts on primary producers, the Victorian Farmers Federation, while acknowledging that animals are sentient, has sought a range of assurances, including that this new act will not equate to granting animals human-like legal rights. The minister would also be aware of her government's community consultation review into the Animal Welfare Act earlier this year.

My question to the primary industries minister is: will her government be amending the Animal Welfare Act to recognise animal sentience and including those species that I listed prior? If so, will she provide an assurance to our primary producers and seafood industry that any changes will not adversely impact them by granting animals human-like legal rights?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for his question. He makes a number of statements in there which I think will certainly need to be fact checked, particularly given his record in local media in the South-East. In terms of the Animal Welfare Act—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN: —which of course is under the ministry in the other place, I would be certainly keen to check his assertion that there is no acknowledgement currently of sentience of any animals, which I think was a statement that he made.

In terms of the sentience of aquatic animals, I do recall seeing a briefing on this at some stage during my roughly 18 months as minister. I am also aware that a number of the species mentioned—although I can't recall how many—have been in other jurisdictions already recognised in various ways, and I was advised at the time that there were no concerns from the fisheries or aquaculture sector about the way that those laws were operating in some of those other jurisdictions.

I am happy to bring back a further response, if appropriate, after referring to the minister who has carriage of the Animal Welfare Act.