Thursday, 31 October 2019

 Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) (09:47): This year as we approach the Melbourne Cup we have seen some truly horrendous reports of animal cruelty. The ABC recently revealed that hundreds of racehorses who are deemed to be underperforming are illegally being sent to knackeries and abattoirs, where they endure pretty horrific abuse before being slaughtered. While the news is shocking, to be honest I cannot really say I am surprised. I am not surprised that an industry that refers to ex-racehorses as ‘wastage’ is not taking good care of the animals it relies on. I am not surprised that an industry which treats animals as commodities, whose purpose it is to just line the pockets of gambling giants, discards these animals thoughtlessly once they no longer generate profit. We need to tell it like it is: this is an industry with a history of cruelty to animals, from jumps racing and the use of whips to the abuse that we saw revealed last week. We now have an even better idea of the abuse and horrors that are occurring behind closed doors.

I was glad to see the announcement that a portion of Melbourne Cup ticket sales will go towards horse welfare, but I have to say I am pretty sceptical as to whether this is just the industry trying to generate some good press to cover up a scandal. We have a responsibility to advocate for, care for and protect animals, not use them as sport or entertainment or just for gambling profits. So this year, as I have done for many years, I will be saying ‘Nup to the Cup’, as many thousands of Victorians will be doing as well.