OUR VISION
Voiceless envisions a just, equitable world where animals can flourish.
OVER 20 YEARS OF ANIMAL PROTECTION
For over twenty years, Voiceless has been at the forefront of creating a new social justice movement – animal protection. We have advanced legal protections for animals, capacity-built organisations and advocates, created impactful public campaigns, animal law resources and youth education programmes, and exposed cruel industries through in-depth reports. There’s still so much more to do. Read more about our history here. Our Donor Impact Reports are also a wealth of information on Vocieless’s 20+ years of work. Please read our latest 2025 Donor Impact Report to learn more about our work.
Hot Topics
Animals are sentient beings with their own rich, complex emotional and social lives. Through science-based research, law and education, Voiceless explores the key issues in animal protection.
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Live Export
Every year, around three million live animals are exported from Australia for slaughter overseas.
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Kangaroos
The commercial killing of kangaroos is a multi-million dollar meat and skin industry and the largest slaughter of land-based animals in the world.
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Broiler Chickens
Each year 600 million chickens are produced for meat in Australia and most are factory farmed, with up to 60,000 broiler chickens living in a single shed.
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Dairy Cows
Each year around 450,000 calves, considered ‘wastage’, are taken from their mothers and either killed on-farm or sent for commercial slaughter within just five days of being born.
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Battery Hens
Over 10 million battery hens are confined to small cages in Australia, unable to perform even their most natural behaviours.
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More Hot Topics
See here for more in-depth information and factsheets on other topics.
Voiceless grants program
The Voiceless Grant’s Program supports impactful initiatives in line with our vision to create a just, equitable world where animals can flourish.
Voiceless - 2025 A Year of Impact
Watch a short video capturing the achievements and highlights from our 2025 Voiceless Grants Program and the voices of the changemakers behind them.
The Life of the Dairy Cow Republished
Voiceless is proud to announce the update and republication of our groundbreaking 2015 report and damning exposé of the Australian dairy industry, 'The Life of the Dairy Cow'. This special edition, published by the Animal Studies Journal, honours our late friend and colleague Dr Deidre Wicks, whose passion for dairy cow welfare inspired the original work.
2025 Donor Impact Report
Our 2025 Donor Impact Report reflects the remarkable progress being made by the changemakers we support — from pioneering alternatives to animal exploitation to advancing legal and policy reform that protect the rights of animals. Please read this year’s Impact Report and see the powerful results of our shared purpose – the protection of animals.
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VOICELESS ANIMAL CRUELTY INDEX
An interactive and innovative tool that compares the animal welfare performance of some of the largest livestock producers in the world. Find out how your country compares on the newly updated Voiceless Animal Cruelty Index (VACI).
LEARN MORE
Animal Law Services List
There are a range of animal law organisations and law firms offering animal law services across Australia. In order to assist the Voiceless community and beyond, we’ve compiled this list to make your search for an animal law organisation or law firm as quick, easy and accessible as possible.
These services can include:
- Providing legal advice on issues of animal law;
- submitting law reform submissions;
- running animal law events;
- educating the community on animal law, and;
- providing space for burgeoning animal lawyers to grow through internships and PLT placements.
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Hear from Professor Nick James, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Law at @bonduniversity, as he shares why our new multi-year partnership and the establishment of the Brian Sherman Animal Law Clinic are such a significant step forward for animal law in Australia.
Named in honour of our late Co-Founder, the Clinic reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Australia’s pipeline of animal lawyers and equipping the next generation with real-world legal skills to protect animals.
This partnership marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for animal law in Australia 👏
📣 Announcing the Brian Sherman Animal Law Clinic!
We are incredibly proud to share our newest multi-year strategic partnership with @bonduniversity and the establishment of the Brian Sherman Animal Law Clinic, named in honour of our late Co-Founder.
Launching in early 2026, the Clinic at Bond Law School will:
🔹 Provide real-world legal casework opportunities for Bond Law students
🔹 Support Australia’s leading animal NGOs on submissions, litigation and research
🔹 Strengthen Australia`s pipeline and next generation of animal lawyers
🔹 Lay the foundation for future clinics at universities nationwide.
This is a significant investment made by Voiceless to build capacity for the future of animal law in Australia, and one that will deliver impact for animals for generations.
FINAL CALL! Applications for the Voiceless Animal Advocacy Scholarships close this Friday, 5 December.
If you’re passionate about animal protection, based in Australia and want to connect with other changemakers at the @animalrightsforum 2026, this is your chance to apply for financial assistance.
Head to the link in our bio to read our criteria and apply — don’t miss out!
#AnimalAdvocacy #Voiceless #AnimalRightsForum #Scholarship
Applications are rolling in! Don’t miss your chance to be part of the next generation of changemakers for animals.
The Voiceless Animal Advocacy Scholarships 2026 will support passionate and committed Australian-based animal advocates in attending the 2026 Animal Rights Forum in Sydney (21–22 February).
🎓 Open to young or early-career advocates ready to make an impact for animals.
💻 Read our eligibility criteria and apply by Friday, 5 December via the link in our bio.
📖 New Report: Counting Kangaroos — Fact or Fiction?
Australia’s commercial kangaroo industry kills between 1.6–1.8 million kangaroos every year, making it the world’s largest wildlife slaughter for meat and skins. Together with @kangaroosalive and @voiceless.org.au Directors, Dr Dror Ben-Ami and Professor Daniel Ramp, a new independent report has been released, revealing critical gaps in reliability, transparency, and sustainability across state-managed kangaroo programs.
The report calls for major reforms, including a shift away from commercial killing toward non-lethal, coexistence-based management that protects kangaroos and supports farmers, especially during droughts. Additionally, it recommends that all kangaroo survey data be made public and independently reviewed to restore scientific credibility and transparency.
🦘 Click our bio link to read the full report.
💫 Congratulations to our new Voiceless Grant Recipient @samyanpress 👏
Voiceless is proud to support Sam Yan Press in Thailand, which translates and publishes seminal works on animal rights, helping to bridge the gap between ethical philosophy and animal advocacy in a culturally relevant way.
By translating key texts, including Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by renowned philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum and The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights, Sam Yan Press is creating new pathways for reflection, dialogue and empathy across faith, academia, and activism for all beings. 🌱
To learn more about Sam Yan Press and our other inspiring grantees, click on our bio 👆
#VoicelessGrants #AnimalRights #Buddhism #Compassion #SamYanPress
📣 Voiceless Launches Animal Advocacy Scholarships for the 2026 Animal Rights Forum!
We’re thrilled to support passionate young and early-career advocates based in Australia in attending the Animal Rights Forum 2026, taking place in Sydney on 21–22 February 2026.
These scholarships will cover registration, and where applicable, interstate travel and accommodation for outstanding applicants ready to create a more compassionate world for animals.
Through this initiative, Voiceless aims to amplify and empower the next generation of changemakers stepping into Australia’s animal protection movement.
🗓️ Applications are now open and close on Friday, 5 December.
💻 Click our bio link to read the criteria and to apply.
✨ Dedicated to our beloved late Patron, Dr Jane Goodall DBE (1934–2025).
🌏 Grant Spotlight: @sentient.world
We’re proud to highlight our newest Voiceless Grant Recipient, Sentient, whose Global Animal Activists Community (GAAC+) program is creating a powerful network of trained investigators uncovering cruelty and driving systemic reform for animals across India and Asia. 💪
Since receiving Voiceless support, Sentient has:
🎓 Trained dozens of new investigators
🌐 Launched a 12-week Masterclass with We Animals’ Jo-Anne McArthur
🤝 Co-hosted the Asia Investigations Symposium with Reporters for Animals International — connecting 40+ investigators across 10+ countries!
Sentient also unveiled its India Investigative Report and forthcoming 2026–2030 Strategy at the AVA India Summit, charting a bold path to strengthen investigative capacity, community support, and policy influence across the Global South.
✨ Together, we’re empowering a new generation of animal advocates. Click our bio link to learn more about Sentient`s work and our other extraordinary grantees ✨
#VoicelessGrants #Sentient #AnimalJustice #AnimalAdvocacy #SystemicChange #Investigations #ForTheAnimals #GlobalSouth #Voiceless
💔 Last week, we lost one of the world’s greatest voices for animals, people, and the planet — Dr Jane Goodall, a beloved Voiceless Patron and lifelong inspiration to our Co-founder and Managing Director, Ondine Sherman, and to all of us at Voiceless.
In her new blog, Ondine reflects on Jane’s compassion, determination, and unwavering hope for a kinder world:
“Thank you, Jane, for reminding me, and so many others, to never give up. Even when the world looks dire, and humans appear uncaring and uncompassionate… Our work, our mission, is to continue.”
Ondine remembers Jane as “a unique voice: a global advocate for nature, wildlife, and all animals. No hierarchy, no categorisation, no labels.”
Read Ondine’s heartfelt tribute to Dr Jane Goodall — a pioneer who showed us that “hope is not passive — it’s about action.”
Jane’s life reminds us that every act of kindness matters — and that hope, when turned into action, can change the world.
👉 Click our bio link to read the full blog 💚.
Learn more about
The Voiceless Blog
Opinions, news and analysis covering key topics in animal protection, animal law, education and cruelty-free living.
High School Resources
Educate and inspire your classroom to think critically about animal protection.
Suggested Reading
Review our list of books, articles, texts and videos for your core animal protection materials.