The Animal Voice: Securing interests through law
Animal law is gaining momentum worldwide as consideration is given to the important relationship between ethics and law and whether a legal voice for animals can make a difference.In its seventh year, the 2013 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series presented nine leading legal minds across the country discussing constitutions and treaties that provide protection for animals, regulatory issues, standing, property status and ethics. Leading the exploration for the Lecture Series is Voiceless’s international keynote speaker, Antoine F. Goetschel.
Antoine is a Swiss lawyer based in Zurich with a career focus on animal law. He fought successfully to have the “dignity of living beings” protected by the Swiss Constitution and for animals to be recognised as non-objects in legislation. Antoine was previously the animal welfare lawyer for the Canton of Zurich, the first position of its kind worldwide. As one of the world’s leading animal lawyers and pioneers in this field, Antoine F. Goetschel delivered an inspiring and insightful presentation on the potential future of animal law.
This lecture was chaired by Voiceless Legal Counsel, Ruth Hatten. A local perspective on legislative and regulatory issues affecting animal welfare in Australia was given by Jed Goodfellow, a PhD candidate within the Legal Governance Concentration of Research Excellence at Macquarie Law School and policy officer for RSPCA Australia.