Harrowing footage captured by Farm Transparency Project has revealed the rape of a female pig at a Victorian piggery. As reported by the ABC

A farmer has been arrested for this heinous crime, but shockingly, only part of the sexual abuse seen in the video is considered illegal under Victorian law.

We must renew our calls to strengthen bestiality laws across Victoria and implement mandatory CCTV in farms and slaughterhouses to prevent this ever happening again.

A global cruelty problem

Across the world, disturbing videos of deliberate animal torture are being filmed and sold online for profit. In recent months, the global community has been outraged by reports of organised cat torture rings in China, where animals are mutilated, burned, and killed for entertainment. Their suffering is recorded and shared across social media for money and attention.

While these horrors may occur overseas, Australia is not immune. Videos showing the sexual abuse or torture of animals are still circulating here, yet Victorian law does not explicitly ban the possession or sharing of this content.

If we cannot make such material illegal at home, we cannot credibly call on other countries to do the same. Leadership begins here.

Georgie Purcell MP demands action

In March 2024, Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell questioned the Victorian Attorney-General in Parliament after the release of the shocking Farm Transparency Project footage.

She called out the disturbing reality that under current laws, only part of the sexual abuse committed in that case is technically illegal, and that Victoria still lacks specific offences for the possession or distribution of bestiality or crush material.

Georgie pressed the Government to close these loopholes and align Victoria’s laws with states such as New South Wales, where the Crimes Act 1900 already criminalises the production, possession and sharing of such material.

“Over 3000 sadistic videos of animal abuse are available online to Australians, including footage of kittens, puppies, pigs and rabbits being tortured to death. This content must be outlawed.”
– Georgie Purcell MP, Questions Without Notice, Victorian Parliament (19 March 2024)

Watch Georgie’s Question in Parliament

Why Victoria must act

Crush videos, also known as animal snuff videos, are a form of violent fetish material that depict the deliberate torture or killing of animals for gratification. They are among the most extreme examples of animal cruelty imaginable.

Following an investigation that exposed more than 3,000 such videos available in Australia, New South Wales took decisive action. The NSW Crimes Act now criminalises the production, possession and distribution of both bestiality and animal crush material, in the same way that laws against child exploitation material protect human victims.

Victoria has not yet followed suit. Our Crimes Act still leaves dangerous loopholes that allow people to legally own, share or trade footage of animal torture and sexual abuse.

What needs to change

We must update Victorian legislation to:

• Outlaw the possession and distribution of all bestiality and animal “crush” materials.

• Include every form of sexual contact with animals in the legal definition of bestiality.

• Introduce mandatory CCTV in farms and slaughterhouses to ensure transparency and accountability.

This amendment would close a critical gap in the law, addressing a form of animal cruelty and sexual exploitation that is currently not explicitly covered. It would align Victoria’s standards with NSW and other jurisdictions that have already acted to protect animals from this abuse.

Victoria must lead

By refusing to criminalise the possession and sharing of animal abuse content, we send the wrong message that Australia is willing to tolerate cruelty as long as it happens behind closed doors or on someone else’s servers.

Victoria can and must lead the way. When our state sets strong moral and legal standards, we not only protect animals here but also send a powerful message to the world that cruelty in any form is unacceptable.

Together, we can close this loophole and ensure justice for animals who have no voice.