Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland

1. Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland By Carina Argent

2. Contents • Defining a Pressure Group • The Roles of Pressure Groups • Public Policy • Penalties • Type of Pressure Group • Strategies • Effectiveness of Strategies • Bibliography

3. Defining a Pressure Group • A pressure group is an organised group which attempts to influence the behaviour and actions of the government and administrations without seeking formal control of the government. • In Australia there is a fairly clear distinction between political parties and pressure groups .Pressure groups generally aim to achieve influence over particular policies rather than to achieve control of government.

4. The Roles of Pressure Groups • 1) Provide ordinary citizens with important means of participating in politics • 2) Pressure groups give people in government an idea of who will be affected or is being affected and in what way • 3) Provide expertise and assistance. Economic pressure groups are in a position to supply governments with a great amount of useful information • 4) They provide a useful channel of communication between governments and the various publics.

5. Public Policy • What laws the government has enforced to protect the animals. • The Animal Rights Committee was established in the circumstance that a growing level of community awareness and concern about some of the ways in which humans treat animals. Areas of concern have included hunting, animal experimentation and neglect and abuse of pets. • Under the law as it presently stands, animals are a form of property. Unlike other forms of property, however, animals are living, conscious beings. Two of the Committee's main objectives are to ensure that the legislation is appropriate and that it is enforced. When the Committee was established, there were already several bodies in Australia that were devoted to animal welfare issues. However, there was no such body with a legal focus.

6. Animal welfare laws in Australia • In Australia, under the Constitution, each state and territory is responsible for its own animal welfare legislation. Below is an example of the laws from South Australia.

7. The law relating to animals in South Australia is made up of the Act and a set of Regulations. Cruelty to animals is an offence under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1985 , amended in November 1999. The Act sets out a general definition of what constitutes cruelty. • A person who ill treats an animal is guilty of an offence. • A person is guilty of ill treating an animal if that person - • deliberately or unreasonably causes the animal unnecessary pain; • being the owner of the animal - • fails to provide it with appropriate, and adequate, food, water, shelter or exercise

8. Penalties • If a person is found guilty of ill-treating an animal the maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000 or 12 months imprisonment. Under section 36 of the Act, a person may be ordered to surrender their animals to the RSPCA, and may be prohibited from owning any animals of a particular species in future.

9. Type of Pressure Group • The Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland is a Promotional Pressure group. The Society represents the community's interests at local, state and national levels, and speaks on their behalf. • Their campaigns cover diverse topics ranging from reduction in vegetation clearing, preserving and restoring endangered mahogany glider and bilby habitats, to arresting the decline of dugong populations.

10. Strategies • Promotional groups are more likely to target public opinion and to use ‘direct action’ strategies to influence government, such as campaigns, petitions, public meetings and marches.

11. The main strategy employed by this pressure group is campaigning. As you can see below there is an example of campaigning, to stop duck and quail shooting. Campaigning to end the recreationalshooting of duck and quail was successful in 2005

12. Effectiveness of Strategies • The effectiveness of these strategies can be seen due to the achievements that the WPSQ has accomplished. Such as the protection of The Great Barrier Reef and Marine Turtles. • Great Barrier Reef • Wildlife Queensland started its 10-year campaign to protect the whole of the Great Barrier Reef in 1967. Led by Wildlife Queensland, this campaign gathered momentum to oppose limestone mining on Ellison Reef near Innisfail. The campaign then also moved to oppose oil drilling in the Reef and the Coral Sea. • When the Reef was declared a World Heritage Area in 1981, Wildlife Queensland helped co-develop the Strategic Plan for the area.

13. Marine turtles • Wildlife Queensland campaigned from 1968 to protect the famous Mon Repos turtle rookery near Bundaberg. This campaign included a successful court battle to stop a controversial subdivision near the rookery in 1983.

14. Bibliography • http://www.lawsociety.com.au/page.asp?partid=6290 • http://www.spiral.org.au/sos/index.php?page=11 • http://hsc.csu.edu.au/pta/scansw/powgps.html#anchor281004 • http://www.wildlife.org.au/about.html • http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/animalwelfare/15469.html