Page 3306 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 21 August 2019
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activism is destructive and deliberate. We have seen this time and again in recent years.
In Western Australia a how-to guide has been drawn up by animal liberation group Direct Action Everywhere that tells members they should openly enter farms at night, document the conditions and rescue animals. The group calls the tactic “open rescue”, to quote from their website, but what they are describing is illegal trespass on private property and the theft of livestock.
The very well-publicised situation of the Gippy Goat Cafe in Victoria involved constant harassment by abusive vegan activists that resulted in the cafe closing after months and months of unrelenting behaviour from vandals and from trespass. The staff and owners were harassed to such an extent that they feared for their safety and they had no choice but to close the business down. This may well have been seen as a victory in the name of activism, but it was a perpetration of abuse and an illegal activity that should be prohibited under law. Cafes, butcher shops, animal parks—all these types of businesses have been targeted all around the world, and all of this in the name of veganism.
I believe in our fundamental right to protest. However, this behaviour cannot be called protesting if it is flouting the law and destroying people’s livelihoods. All animal-related businesses have the right to feel safe in their businesses and their homes. They should be able to carry out their business without the so-called activists invading their property or stealing their property.
This applies to research facilities as well. A very new threat has emerged recently, providing new tools to these vegan vandals by way of a website called The Aussie Farms Repository. The website publicly lists thousands of legitimate Australian businesses. It lists their details and the names of the proprietors, it contains photos and maps and, yes, ACT businesses currently appear on these pages.
The site itself states that the repository aims to bring all evidence together so that “we can all freely share and use it in our efforts towards a common goal”. The common goal is the extreme activism that wreaks havoc and destruction in a deliberate attempt to derail legitimate and lawful businesses.
I applaud my federal colleagues for taking action in light of these activities and for taking steps to develop new farm trespass laws, strengthen penalties and make a stand against activists who invade farms, damage property and steal animals. The federal rules go even further and target those who incite trespass using a carrier service, a legislative responsibility that exists only for the commonwealth.
It is now crucial that state and territory governments step up and play their part in protecting animal-related businesses and research facilities—and in the ACT’s example maybe also tourism businesses—to prevent risks to our quarantine and biosecurity and to give protection to those who seek to operate a lawful business under the law, something they should rightfully enjoy.
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