Voiceless, the Animal Protection Institute
Interview with Corporate Counsel Katrina Sharman.

Tell those who aren't that familiar with the Voiceless success story why Voiceless was formed originally, its mission, its quest and its ultimate goal.

Voiceless is an independent non-profit think tank dedicated to alleviating the suffering of animals in Australia.  It was established in 2004 by father and daughter team, Brian Sherman AM and Ondine Sherman. Our mission is to bring the institutionalised suffering of animals to the forefront of Australia’s agenda; ensuring that animal protection is the next great social justice movement. 

What areas of animal rights and advocacy does Voiceless cover?

Voiceless seeks to promote respect and compassion for all animals; however our primary focus is on lifting the veil of secrecy around factory farming and the culling of kangaroos due to the magnitude of suffering involved.  

A component of Voiceless is their phenomenal Animal Law component. What is its mission and ultimate goal?

The field of animal law is still a relatively new area, and it is our goal to build the momentum of the movement to ensure that the law is used to protect the interests of animals. As animals are classified as property under current laws in Australia, this will involve strengthening and reforming anti-cruelty legislation, as well as ensuring laws that exist to protect animals are properly enforced. We want to facilitate meaningful law reform by building the study and practice of animal law in Australia.    

Name some of its successes Katrina that you are particularly proud of.

 Voiceless built the first legal team within an Australian animal protection organisation, dedicated to seeking justice for animals. Today, almost all of Australia’s leading law firms have provided pro-bono services or in-kind support to Voiceless.

• Through our law lecture series and work with universities, associations and law firms, we have facilitated the creation of animal law subjects in nine Australian universities.
• Our reports on factory farming have led directly to debates in both federal and state parliaments, received coverage in mainstream media, and have been publicised online by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO).  Our reports include From Paddocks to Prisons: Future Directions on the NSW pig industry, From Label to Liable: Scams, Scandals and Secrecy on animal-derived food product labelling and From Nest to Nugget: an Exposé of Australia's Chicken Factories, all of which can be downloaded from our website: http://www.voiceless.org.au/Resources/Resources/Resources.html

What are other 1st's where Voiceless has struck out on its own?

We created the first ever Australian animal law lecture series with some of the worlds most prominent and successful international animal law experts. Each year the series continues to grow due to the generous support of law schools, professional legal associations, law firms and legal publishers across the country. You can read about some of our initiatives at www.voiceless.org.au

As Corporate Counsel for Voiceless, the Animal Protection Institute, what is your philosophy on legal rights for animals?

 Animal products and by-products are everywhere. From the food we eat, to the clothes we wear to the household products we use. It seems to be virtually impossible to live in the modern world and do no harm, so my approach is to do as little harm as possible. I choose not to eat animal products because I know that by adopting a vegan diet, no animal has suffered for the sake of my food. I choose not to wear animal products like leather because I don’t believe that animals should be harmed just so I can look good. I see my role as raising awareness and helping people to understand the issues so that they too can do as little harm as possible.

How does Australia fare in the global market in regards to sheer systemic animal abuse?

Australia has eagerly embraced the factory farming models that strive for greater efficiency, notwithstanding their devastating impact on the lives of close to half a billion animals each year. We ‘market’ ourselves as an animal welfare leader yet we lag shamefully behind the European Union and certain US States when it comes to providing meaningful protections for animals.

For example, sow stalls are already banned in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands and Finland. They are also banned in Florida and are being phased out in Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and Oregon in the United States. The European Union has committed to phase out sow stalls by 2013 (except for the first 4 weeks of pregnancy), whereas sow stalls are scheduled to remain lawful in Australia for at least the next 8 years.

Why is law reform a slow process?

Like any social justice movement, it takes time for the community and then lawmakers to come onboard. Community sentiment must change before politicians will engage with any kind of meaningful law reform, but community attitudes will not change unless we first lift the veil of secrecy surrounding factory farming.

Is meaningful change possible?

Yes, but it isn't an overnight process. There are positive signs of change, such as the growth of the animal law movement and increased public awareness and concern about the treatment of animals. Of course even if meaningful change wasn’t possible, I would keep working in this field anyway, because I can't know about the institutionalised suffering of animals and not seek to address it.

Name some of the ongoing concerns you have regarding animal law in Australia, if anything.

A major concern for me is the inherent conflict of interest within state and federal departments of primary industry, who are largely responsible for promoting the interests of animals but also the interests of agribusiness. As long as these bodies hold responsibility for both animal protection and industry, meaningful law reform will be very difficult to achieve. The model codes of practice are examples of what happens when there is a close relationship between government and industry – industry practices that involve substantial suffering are sanctioned and therefore facilitated.

You were recently included in ALB's showcase of Australasia's top 20 in-house lawyers. Tell us about that.

Being named in the top 20 along with many eminent in-house lawyers was flattering; but the real victory was that animal protection was recognised as a legitimate area of practice within an in-house legal context. It is a promising sign of the direction of animal law, and is no doubt encouraging for law students hoping to pursue a career in animal law.

Where to in the future Katrina?

I hope I can continue to build on what we’ve already accomplished. I will continue to devote myself to building the animal protection movement – for me this is a life-long commitment. I hope that my actions will create change, but even if they don’t I will keep doing it anyway, because working for animal protection is my absolute truth.