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There is growing impetus for social work to move beyond a human-centric social justice orientation to include the consideration of animals. Social work programs in Australia are currently not required to include content related to animals within the curricula and little is known about the extent to which this content is currently being taught in Australia. The aim of this study was to explore how consideration of human–animal relations has been incorporated into Australian social work programs. Fifteen social work educators were surveyed with three of these participants also undertaking semistructured interviews. The findings revealed that where animal-related content was included it predominantly took an "instrumental" or "anthropocentric" focus related solely to human wellbeing. Exceptions to this focus were found to exist within some ethics and theory units under topics such as "green social work". Participants report barriers to including such content citing factors related to challenges within the university context and the perceived relative importance of other topics within a crowded social work curriculum. Despite an upsurge in interest in animal-related content reflected in the literature and a broader shift in societal attitudes towards animals, the findings of this small study indicate that Australian social work curriculum currently does not reflect this increasing interest. As a social justice–oriented profession social work has an ethical responsibility to expand its focus to include consideration of human–animal relations within the Australian social work curriculum. There is evidence that inclusion of content related to animals is limited and is often a reflection of the educator's commitment and passion for the topic rather than curriculum priorities or requirements. Further research is needed to gain a better understanding of the extent to which human–animal relations content is included within Australian social work curriculum and what barriers may exist to its inclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the important role volunteers play in Australian society, the current study examined the relationship between different motivations for volunteering and different outcomes experienced by animal welfare volunteers. An anonymous, self-report questionnaire was completed online by 278 volunteers (84.53% female; Mage = 45.19 years, SD = 18.13) of a large state-wide animal welfare organisation. A latent profile analysis was conducted with data collected using the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI), and interpreted alongside a thematic analysis of qualitative responses. Three groups of participants were identified, characterised by different prominent motivations to volunteer: personal values (values-driven group); personal values and personal growth (personal-gain group); and personal values, personal growth, and career-related factors (experience-oriented group). Values-driven volunteers experienced both pleasure and stress from the enactment of values-driven behaviour, and experienced increased opportunity for socialisation. Personal-gain volunteers experienced increased opportunity for socialisation and increased sense of purpose. Experience-oriented volunteers derived pleasure from enacting personal values, and increased opportunity to gain experience in animal-care. Motivations for volunteering are complex and multifaceted. The current findings highlight how motivationally congruent volunteering behaviours can be associated with a range of positive outcomes for volunteers. What is already known about this topic: Volunteering is associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes. Australian volunteers are heterogenous in terms of demographics and motivations for volunteering. Mixed-method analyses can produced nuanced understandings of complex topics. What this topic adds: Volunteers have complex and multifaceted motivations for volunteering. Volunteering behaviours are associated with positive outcomes when these behaviours are congruent with motivations to volunteer. Volunteers may experience a range of positive social, psychological and practical outcomes when they engage in motivationally congruent volunteering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophers have long articulated theories of animal rights. However, concrete questions such as "How should the Constitution of Australia change if it recognized the right to self-determination of some wild animals?" have rarely, if ever, been studied. Inspired by Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka's theory of animal rights, this article explores a legal strategy about how wild animals' interest in self-determination could be recognized in the Australian Constitution. I argue that conferring strong constitutional protection to wild animals regarding self-determination would require: (1) recognizing fundamental legal rights of wild animals to political representation, immunity from being objects of property rights, self-determination, and territory, and (2) defining to whom the proposed rights would apply and identifying the territories over which animals would have a right to govern themselves. I offer a strategic proposal in relation to point 2 and suggest that granting a legal status beyond the personhood–property divide, what I call "legal animalhood," is the soundest strategy to recognize the fundamental legal rights of wild animals. Finally, I show that the proposed strategy is a better approach to confer strong legal protection to wild animals than Karen Bradshaw's property rights strategy and ecocentric approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years Australian governments have proposed, and enacted, 'ag-gag' laws which extend the criminalisation of peaceful, non-violent activities such as trespass to deter animal protection advocates from obtaining information about animal welfare, information that is not obtainable in other ways and that contributes to public deliberation around an important policy issue. This article asks two questions. First, if a speaker engages in non-violent, peaceful, but illegal activities, such as trespass in order to obtain information that is important to democratic deliberation, can this be justified from the perspective of free speech theory? Answering this question in the affirmative, we then analyse the contours of proposed, and new provisions in Australian law designed to extend the criminalisation of such activities. We conclude that since the impact on freedom of speech of such provisions is excessive, governments should be mindful of their free speech obligations when considering, and enacting, such laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, a growing body of research has focused on experiences of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) among people of diverse genders and/or sexualities. Missing, however, has been a focus on what is known as "the link" between DVA and animal cruelty with regard to people of diverse genders and/or sexualities. The present article reports on a study of 503 people living in either Australia or the United Kingdom, who reported on both their intimate human relationships and their relationships with animals, including relationships that were abusive. In terms of "the link," a fifth of respondents who had experienced violence or abuse also reported that animal cruelty had been perpetuated by the violent or abusive partner. Statistical interactions were found between having witnessed animal cruelty perpetrated by a partner, gender and sexuality, and both psychological distress and social connectedness. Female participants who had witnessed animal cruelty reported greater psychological distress and lower levels of social support, and both lesbian and bisexual participants who had witnessed animal cruelty reported lower levels of social support. The article concludes by considering the implications of these findings for future research and service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article explores the different ways in which the vegan turn within the animal advocacy movement in Australia has played out for two organisations, Animal Liberation Victoria (ALV) and Animals Australia. Previous research has found that this promotion of veganism has occurred to varying degrees for different organisations and this article will analyse some of these variations in greater depth, drawing on the sociological theory of resource mobilisation. Design/methodology/approach: This article provides a case study on the campaigning of ALV and Animals Australia on the issue of the dairy industry, as well as an overview of their histories, with a focus on the changing level of vegan campaigning over time. In order to explore this issue, this article will draw on the campaigning materials of the organisations studied, a wide range of academic literature and interviews with key figures from both of these organisations. Findings: Larger organisations have a limited ability to regularly promote a vegan message due to their need to bring in a large amount of resources to sustain costs such as their office costs and paid staff. It is more grassroots organisations that have far greater scope to consistently and strongly promote a vegan message, although they reach fewer people. Social implications: The increasing uptake of veganism will have important implications for animals as well as for human health and the environment. The environmental benefits of veganism become even more significant in light of the urgent need to tackle the substantial threat of climate change. Originality/value: This article is a contribution to the expanding field of critical animal studies as well as to the literature on sociology and animals. It builds on the limited amount of existing sociological literature on vegan activism and contributes an analysis in Australian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pierson v. Post is widely known to both jurists and law students in relation to the question of property rights in wild animals. This article builds on Pierson v. Post and its literature by analyzing the question of ferae naturae in the context of settler and indigenous conflict on the Australian frontier in the nineteenth century. By examining both case law and the cinematic representation of the conflict over property rights on the frontier, it is argued that an understanding of the legal issues relating to ferae naturae is enhanced by an appreciation of the complexity of cross-cultural communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we examine the digitalised emotional campaigning of one of Australia’s peak animal welfare body, Animals Australia, focusing on their most effective digital strategies associated with their campaigns against factory farming. Our broader interest lies with sounding out the affective affordances of the technologies informing such activist work; technologies of affect in a very significant sense. This discussion comprises three parts. First, we unpack the context for the problematic faced by animal and environmental activisms: neoliberalism, showing how neoliberal assumptions constrain such activisms to emotional appeals and denounce them for such strategising. Second, we sound out some of the affordances of digital media technologies for affectively oriented activisms; and finally, we delve into some of Animals Australia’s digital campaigning with regard to issues of factory farming in order to show the efficacy of such affectively oriented mediated strategising for the forming of new relations with factory farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Australians on average consume large quantities of meat, their attitudes to farm animal welfare are poorly understood. We know little about how farm animal production is discussed in Australian households or how children learn about the origins of meat. This study consisted of an online survey completed by 225 primary carers throughout Australia recruited through social media. Findings include that conversations about the origin of meat were generally stimulated by meal preparation within the home rather than visits to agricultural shows or similar activities. Parents preferred to initiate conversations with children about meat production before they were 5 years of age. Urban parents were more likely than rural parents to reveal that they were conflicted about eating meat and would be more empathetic to children who chose to stop eating meat. Rural parents were more likely than urban parents to feel that children should eat what they are given and that talking about meat is not a major issue. Both groups felt that it was important that children should know where their food comes from. The findings of this study suggest that parental attitudes to meat production and consumption influence conversations about meat origins with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the need of need for a Commonwealth guardianship framework for animal welfare in Australia, as of December 2015. Topics discussed include existing framework between international, national and state laws regarding the issue; analysis of the cases for and against federalist intervention; and animal right provisions of British Ill-Treatment of Cattle Act 1822.

We examined attitudes toward nonhuman animal welfare and rights and career aspirations in Australian and Turkish veterinary students. A representative university was selected in each country, with 190 first- and third-year students sampled in each. Survey questions addressed attitudes toward nonhuman animal welfare/rights, and intended career. Australian and Turkish students were predominately female and male, respectively, but attitudes were similar between sexes. Australian students rated keeping companion animals and hormonal desexing more acceptable, and food and rest deprivation, pain during slaughter, and using animals in experiments less acceptable than Turkish students. Keeping companion animals related strongly with students' moral values, their decision to study veterinary medicine, and program satisfaction. More Australian than Turkish students wanted to enter clinical practice. Thus veterinary students of these two culturally contrasting countries demonstrated both differences and universalities, such as companion animal keeping, which influenced their attitudes toward animals and career aspirations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dog health in rural and remote Australian Indigenous communities is below urban averages in numerous respects. Many Indigenous communities have called for knowledge sharing in this area. However, dog health education programs are in their infancy, and lack data on effective practices. Without this core knowledge, health promotion efforts cannot progress effectively. This paper discusses a strategy that draws from successful approaches in human health and indigenous education, such as dadirri, and culturally respectful community engagement and development. Negotiating an appropriate education program is explored in its practical application through four case studies. Though each case was unique, the comparison of the four illustrated the importance of listening (community consultation), developing and maintaining relationships, community involvement and employment. The most successful case studies were those that could fully implement all four areas. Outcomes included improved local dog health capacity, local employment and engagement with the program and significantly improved dog health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article argues against a recommendation by the Committee on Sustainable Agriculture and Environment for the replacement of rangeland domesticated animal farming with kangaroo harvesting. The committee claims that the plan will improve the ecology and soil quality in semi-arid regions in Australia. The National Code of Practice for the Human Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes is also discussed.

This paper investigates what 'free-range' eggs are available for sale in supermarkets in Australia, what 'free-range' means on product labelling, and what alternative 'free-range' offers to cage production. The paper concludes that most of the 'free-range' eggs currently available in supermarkets do not address animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and public health concerns but, rather, seek to drive down consumer expectations of what these issues mean by balancing them against commercial interests. This suits both supermarkets and egg producers because it does not challenge dominant industrial-scale egg production and the profits associated with it. A serious approach to free-range would confront these arrangements, and this means it may be impossible to truthfully label many of the 'free-range' eggs currently available in the dominant supermarkets as free-range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethical debate on the killing of kangaroos has polarised conservation and animal welfare science, yet at the heart of these scientific disciplines is the unifying aim of reducing harm to non-human animals. This aim provides the foundation for common ground, culminating in the development of compassionate conservation principles that seek to provide mechanisms for achieving both conservation and welfare goals. However, environmental decision-making is not devoid of human interests, and conservation strategies are commonly employed that suit entrenched positions and commercial gain, rather than valuing the needs of the non-human animals in need of protection. The case study on the wild kangaroo harvest presents just such a dilemma, whereby a conservation strategy is put forward that can only be rationalised by ignoring difficulties in the potential for realising conservation benefits and the considerable welfare cost to kangaroos. Rather than an open debate on the ethics of killing game over livestock, in this response I argue that efforts to bring transparency and objectivity to the public debate have to date been obfuscated by those seeking to maintain entrenched interests. Only by putting aside these interests will debate about the exploitation of wildlife result in humane, compassionate, and substantive conservation benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1988 Moscow Circus tour by Edgley International attracted considerable newspaper coverage about a tight-wire bear act, travelling cage sizes, and animal rights protests that culminated in the prosecution of a new circus performer. This increased media attention in 1988 indicates a turning point in social opposition to performing animals in Australian circus. Yet the 1993 Edgley's Moscow Circus tour had double the animal acts and a wire-walking tiger. Despite continued media coverage of an anti-animal performance position in subsequent years, exotic animals continued to be part of successful circus tours. It seems that the strategies used in protests after 1988, which targeted all animals in the circus without differentiating between the species, may have been less effective than the species-specific protests in 1988. Protesting about a general category of animal performer correlates with the rhetoric of the modernist circus that collapses species differences. Hence the circus could maintain its defence that animals were well-treated, living with their trainers in one big circus family. This article argues that, even so, from 1988 the contradictions of the traditional circus had been exposed because newspaper stories and reviews accommodated points made by protestors about animals while they also supported human acts in the circus. These revealed that the allure of exotic geographies embodied by animals in the circus had been disrupted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over approximately the last century, the major pieces of legislation that govern pets and their humans in New South Wales have been the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1979, the Crimes Act 1900 (NSW), the Dog and Goat Act 1898, the Dog Act 1966 and the Companion Animal Act 1998. Using a governmentality-based methodology, this article reveals that the changes in the regulation of dogs from the Dog Act 1966 to the Companion Animal Act 1998 show a shift from controlling dogs to governing dog owners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of results from an Australian Research Council-funded project "Sentiments and Risks: The Changing Nature of Human-Animal Relations in Australia." The data discussed come from a survey of 2000 representative Australians at the capital city, state, and rural regional level. It provides both a snapshot of the state of involvement of Australians with nonhuman animals and their views on critical issues: ethics, rights, animals as food, risk from animals, native versus introduced animals, hunting, fishing, and companionate relations with animals. Its data point to key trends and change. The changing position of animals in Australian society is critical to understand, given its historic export markets in meat and livestock, emerging tourism industry with its strong wildlife focus, native animals' place in discourses of nation, and the centrality of animal foods in the national diet. New anxieties about risk from animal-sourced foods and the endangerment of native animals from development and introduced species, together with tensions between animals' rights and the privileging of native species, contribute to the growth of a strongly contested animal politics in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]