IMAGE: Brian Sherman AM (1943-2022) and Ondine Sherman
What we do
Voiceless was founded in 2004 by father and daughter team, Brian Sherman AM and Ondine Sherman, driven by a shared by a passion to protect animals from suffering and a conviction that animals deserve a voice in our social, political, and legal systems. From its earliest days, Voiceless set out to build solid foundations for animal protection in Australia, hiring the country’s first animal lawyer, launching landmark industry expositions, pioneering animal law education at universities, and increasing media coverage of factory farming and other institutionalised animal cruelty.
Over two decades, Voiceless has grown from a bold idea into one of Australia’s most respected animal protection organisations. The organisation’s first era (2004-2021) focused on direct programs: publishing six major industry reports (including From Paddocks to Prisons, The Life of a Dairy Cow, and Unscrambled); building the animal law field from one university offering animal law to more than 20 across Australia and New Zealand; developing rich, in-depth Animal Protection Education programmes for high-schools students; and running the esteemed annual Voiceless Awards. And so much more. Cumulatively through to 2024, Voiceless disbursed $2.25 million in grants and prizes growing and supporting Australia’s animal protection movement.
In 2022, Voiceless made a strategic pivot – transitioning from running its own programs, to a dedicated grantmaking model with the launch of the Voiceless Grants Program. This shift reflected Ondine Sherman’s belief that the organisation should remain “intentional, small, nimble and effective,” able to quickly pivot and seize opportunities for change. The passing of co-founder Brian Sherman AM marked a profound moment for the organisation, with his inspirational legacy continuing to drive its mission forward.
Today, Voiceless’s theory of change is grounded in investing in visionary people and ideas, in Australia and in strategic geographies across the world, to create transformative change for animals. It works to increase critical thinking about deep-rooted, anti-animal beliefs and disrupt anthropocentric attitudes.
Voiceless is led by Co-Founder and Managing Director Ondine Sherman and General Manager Kate Grigg, supported by a distinguished Board of Directors, Grants Advisory Committee, and patrons including J.M. Coetzee, The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG and the late Dr Jane Goodall DBE.
To learn more about Voiceless’s work for animals, spanning across multiple decades, please take a look at our history page.
In September 2022, our Co-founder and Joint Managing Director of Voiceless, hero for animals, Brian Sherman AM, passed away. He was deeply loved and respected, both as a wonderfully kind person and as an inspirational and effective animal advocate. He will be profoundly missed. We were embraced by thousands of beautiful, loving messages from our Voiceless community. See our dedicated page of tributes from our community. Ondine Sherman’s tribute is found here.
Voiceless Directors jointly oversee the activities of the organisation. Drawn from a range of diverse backgrounds and experiences, our Directors are united by their belief in animal protection and work collectively to guide the development of Voiceless. Our Directors include Katrina Sharman, Daniel Ramp, Sarah Margo, Dror Ben-Ami, Jeffrey Kamins, Bianca Havas,and Ondine Sherman.
Voiceless’s Patrons have, since 2004, elevated messages of animal protection through their influence in literature, law, conservation, and public life. Their leadership, integrity, and compassion reflect the heart of our organisation, and we remain deeply grateful for their continued support.
Voiceless Patrons
John M. Coetzee
Nobel Laureate and author
Coetzee’s work has been instrumental in bringing the moral status of animals into ethical and literary discourse, and his support continues to inspire animal advocates worldwide.
Steadily, and not so slowly anymore, we are making progress. One day, not in our lifetime perhaps, but in a future that is not unforeseeable, animals of nonhuman species will be born into a world in which they stand a fair chance of living a life that is happy by their own standards and fulfilling.
— JM Coetzee, speech at the opening of Voiceless: I Feel Therefore I Am, Sherman Galleries, 22 February 2007
The Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG
Former High Court Justice of Australia and Australia’s longest serving judge
Justice Kirby has long championed the view that compassion and justice must extend beyond humans, and has supported legal reform to recognise the inherent value and rights of animals.
There is nothing so powerful in the world as an idea whose time has come and animal protection is just such an idea.
— Michael Kirby, in conversation with Voiceless
Dr Jane Goodall DBE (1934–2025)
World-renowned ethologist and conservationist
Dr Goodall was a beloved Patron of Voiceless and one of the most influential voices for wildlife protection and compassionate coexistence. We honour her extraordinary life, her wisdom, and her enduring legacy.
Animals in factory farms are treated with absolute brutality, thought of as meat on legs and not as individuals who suffer. Regarded as ‘things’ and not as individuals. Denied respect.
— Dr Jane Goodall DBE, exclusive interview with Voiceless
Voiceless is an Australian-based organisation with a continuing and keen interest in furthering animal protection in Australia. Our core team and support staff are based in Sydney, NSW and Queensland, Australia. Voiceless also has an international satellite office based in Israel, often considered the ‘vegan capital of the world’ and a leader in plant-based innovations.
Voiceless is a proud member of international coalitions and supports animal protection projects and people across the globe. Through the Voiceless Grants Program, we collaborate with our partners in the Global South (Asia, Oceania, South and Central America, and the Middle East), Africa, and, in special circumstances, North America and Europe. Please see our Grants Criteriafor more information on geographies.
Our Core Values
Core Valuesare Voiceless’s guiding principles as we strive towards a just, equitable world where animals can flourish.
We work to embody these Core Values and expect them in the organisations, advocates, and projects we partner with and support. Core Values must be demonstrated both in words and in actions, at all levels of organisational governance and communications, as well as by the key advocates involved in Voiceless-supported or partner projects.
Our Name
We chose our name – Voiceless – because animals cannot advocate for themselves in a court of law or in the halls of parliament. We have a moral, ethical duty to speak up for them. But animals are not voiceless. They speak in languages we humans have failed to understand or have simply chosen not to hear.
