Animal Justice Party | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | AJP |
| President | Bruce Poon |
| Founder | Steve Garlick |
| Founded | 2009; 16 years ago (2009) |
| Headquarters | Sydney |
| Youth wing | Young AJP[1] |
| Ideology | Animal welfare Vegan politics[2] |
| Colours | Purple[3] black red[4] white |
| NSW Legislative Council | 1 / 42 |
| Victorian Legislative Council | 1 / 40 |
| Western Australian Legislative Council | 1 / 37 |
| Website | |
| www.animaljusticeparty.org | |
TheAnimal Justice Party (AJP) is apolitical party in Australia founded in 2009 by Steve Garlick.[5][6] The party was registered by theAustralian Electoral Commission (AEC) on 3 May 2011.[7] The party is also registered inNew South Wales,Queensland,[8]South Australia,Victoria,Western Australia,Tasmania,Northern Territory, and theAustralian Capital Territory. The AJP is the first political party in Australia formed solely to advanceanimal welfare issues.[9][10]
Thepreamble of the AJPcharter says the party "has been formed as a response to growing public concern about the neglect of animals and animal protection issues by political parties" and states its mission is to "secure the interests of animals and nature through Australia’s democratic institutions of government".[11] The AJP's vision is a "planet on which animals and nature have the right to live and thrive free from negative human interference and a human society which functions with kindness and compassion within its ecological limits as a responsible member of the Earth community." The ideology of the party has five guiding principles:[11]
It has 62 published policies under the categories "Animals", "Planet" and "People".[12] The party aims to give animalsconstitutional protection based on theirsentience, as opposed to their instrumental value.[13] The AJP opposes theexport of any live animals for profit, especially slaughter.[14] The AJP aims to legally recognise the inherentRights of Nature.[15] The party also opposes the eating of meat, and advocates aplant-based diet.[16][17] Additionally, the AJP has 'positions' which are stances on human social issues that do not affect animals and which the AJP says flow clearly from its core values: Kindness, Equality, Rationality and Non-violence.[12]
The party advocates for the abolition offactory farming,greyhound racing and the live export trade. The party also advocates for the termination of government funding for all animal product industries and for the advertising of animal products to be banned.[18]
In 2011, following theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's television footage showingabuse and the slaughter of cattle from theNorthern Territory in conditions that would not have been permitted in Australia, as well as the consequential nationwide protests by supporters ofanimal welfare,[19] AJP, along withAnimals Australia, theAustralasian Meat Industry Employees Union (AMIEU),The Greens and a range of other NGOs sought a ban on live animal exports. Banning live animal exports remains a core commitment on the AJP's election platform.
At the2015 New South Wales election,Mark Pearson gained 1.8% of the primary vote and won a seat in theNew South Wales Legislative Council, giving the party its first parliamentary representation.[20] At the2019 New South Wales election the AJP increased its primary vote to 1.95% of the state total and winning a second seat filled byEmma Hurst MLC.
The AJP won its first seat in theVictorian Legislative Council at the2018 Victorian election electedAndy Meddick MLC. The AJP's second-ever Member of the Victorian Parliament, Georgie Purcell, was elected in 2022. The party also increased its primary vote over that of the2014 Victorian election. Bruce Poon stood at the2018 by-election for Lord Mayor of Melbourne achieving 1.63% of the vote. In 2020, the party's first ever local government representatives were elected: Charlie Vincent in theAlpine Shire and Julie Sloan in theCity of Greater Bendigo.[21]
A 2021 qualitative study into the AJP interviewed members about the role of women in the party.[22] The researcher found that more than 70% of AJP members are women, far higher than otherAustralian political parties, and that "men [in the party] have a heightened awareness of any gender gap in leadership." Other findings included: greater opportunities for women to run for elected office, that women seize leadership opportunities, and that the gender of candidates mirrors the gender composition of the membership.
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won | # of overall seats | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 76,819 | 1.8% | 1 / 21 | 1 / 42 |  1 | |
| 2019 | 86,713 | 1.95% | 1 / 21 | 2 / 42 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 101,183 | 2.19% | 0 / 21 | 1 / 42 |  1 |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 58,133 | 1.70% | 0 / 40 |  0 | |
| 2018 | 88,520 | 2.47% | 1 / 40 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 56,819 | 1.45% | 1 / 40 | 0 |
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of seats won | +/– | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18,803 | 1.21% | 1 / 37 | 1 |
In 2017, Animal Justice Party MP,Mark Pearson was allegedly found to have eaten seafood at a Japanese restaurant located in Sydney. Pearson acknowledged that whilst he eats an "almostvegan" diet, he "strayed for that morsel [of fish]". This incident resulted in backlash from the vegan community of Sydney, particularly on their Facebook pages, where they accused Pearson of being a "traitor" and a "hypocrite". In response, Pearson asserted that "the main constituents of the party are not vegans or vegetarians" and that "We did not get elected by the vegan community."[23] Since then, the AJP has introduced rules that leaders and candidates representing the party must be vegan.[24] Notable vegan candidates include Chris Delforce, director ofthe documentaryDominion,[25] andJames Aspey.
One thing all AJP candidates have in common is they must be vegan or transitioning to veganism.
The AJP policy on marine animals states: "Eating fish, whether farmed or wild, is incompatible with AJP's advocacy of a plant-based diet."
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