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Victoria’s animal protection laws are failing — and the Allan Government has walked away from fixing them.
The Victorian Government first committed in 2018 to strengthening animal welfare legislation. That promise led to the development of the Animal Care and Protection Bill, designed to replace the outdated Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 with modern, comprehensive protections for animals.
The bill was meant to deliver long-overdue protections — reforming laws that are now 40 years old.
It was drafted. It was developed. It was released for public consultation in 2022.
And then — nothing.
The legislation has now been abandoned by the Allan Labor Government, without explanation.
This Bill was intended to do four key things:
- Strengthen protections against animal cruelty, including introducing a duty of care that would aim to prevent cruelty rather than just punishing offenders
- Provide clearer and more consistent laws
- Create a more flexible framework to respond to new science and industry practices
- Reinforce Victoria’s commitment to high animal welfare standards.
It also included important reforms such as recognising animal sentience, improving requirements for people who care for animals, and introducing a stronger cruelty offence with higher penalties.
But instead of delivering reform, the Government has left the process to stall — with no clear explanation, and no timeline for next steps.
Animals are still suffering under outdated laws that enforcement agencies have repeatedly warned are too weak and too restrictive. Inspectors continue to lack the tools they need to intervene quickly when animals are in distress.
The Allan Government promised stronger animal protection laws. Instead, it has walked away from reform and left the community in the dark.
Victorians deserve answers.
And animals deserve protection.
We are calling on the Victorian Government to explain why the Animal Care and Protection Bill has been abandoned, and to immediately commit to delivering modern, enforceable animal protection laws without further delay.
How you can help
Visit our campaign page here and use our template to email Premier Allan, demanding an explanation as to why the Bill has been shelved.
The more Victorians who speak up, the harder it is for the Government to ignore this broken promise.
