Become a member
Donate
MP Emma Hurst's work for animals 🐾Explore Emma's work in Parliament, ongoing updates and the issues that matter for animals, people and the planet. See her major wins here. 2026JULY17 Jul — Media An Auditor-General's report found the greyhound racing regulator GWIC's delays in case management led to reduced penalties in serious animal cruelty cases, including one where a dog died. Emma said the report showed GWIC had no credible way to show it is improving animal welfare."One of the most appalling findings is that GWIC's own incompetency resulted in reduced penalties for very serious animal cruelty," she said. “After five reviews since 2016, the government cannot pretend this regulator merely needs another action plan and more time.” Source. 10 Jul — Media The Daily Telegraph reported the court's rejection of a bid to halt the Kosciuszko brumby cull. Emma said the decision was "devastating" and that aerial shooting "remains an inhumane practice." 01 Jul — Media The Daily Telegraph covered graphic footage from the brumby cull. Emma described the cull as a "bloodbath" and renewed calls for the one-dart fertility control method as a humane alternative, saying "this cruelty could absolutely have been avoided." Source. JUNE★ Emma's June newsletter update. READ HERE 27 Jun — Media Emma wrote an open letter to the NSW Environment Minister on the killing of horses in Kosciuszko National Park, and told 7NEWS the government should be trialling fertility control, "not another bloodbath." Source. 25 Jun — Parliament Emma introduced a Notice of Motion in NSW Parliament calling on the Government to invest further in effective, modern, non-lethal shark mitigation technologies to keep beachgoers safe. She noted that experts have repeatedly shown decades of reliance on outdated approaches like shark nets to be ineffective, and that while NSW has begun investing in drones and other non-lethal measures, "much more can be done." She said calls for shark culls "may make headlines, but they won't make our beaches safer," and called for investment in drones, shark deterrents, increased lifeguard patrols and other modern technologies across NSW beaches. WATCH HERE 24 Jun — Campaigns Emma’s investigation uncovered experimentation on baboons, including forced high-salt diets and organ transplants performed "simply to see what will happen." 21 Jun — Community Over 170 AJP members and supporters joined Emma at Glebe Town Hall for Pies & Politics, hearing reflections on what's been achieved for animals and people and the campaigns still ahead. 17 Jun — Campaigns Emma has been working with Kylie, mother of Caitlin, on Caitlin's Law, a reform to next-of-kin laws in cases involving a history of partner violence. The NSW Government has now committed to changing the law. Watch the full 2GB interview: WATCH HERE 13 Jun — Campaigns Documents obtained by Emma revealed a secret facility using taxpayer funding to rent out primates for experimentation, including the stories of baboons Shakira, Klaus and Odette, each killed over minor health issues. WATCH HERE MAY28 May — Campaigns Emma called on the Government to outlaw the maceration of day old male chicks in the egg industry, ahead of in-ovo sexing technology becoming commercially available in Australia from June. 27 May — Campaigns Emma highlighted gaps in proposed animal protection law reforms before Parliament, which would still permit boiling lobsters alive, near-permanent tethering of dogs, and chick maceration, and renewed the call for an Independent Office of Animal Protection. 27 May — Media Emma spoke with ABC Illawarra's Breakfast with Melinda James about aerial culling of brumbies, advocating for fertility dart technology used in the US as a long-term alternative. LISTEN HERE (timestamp 2:20) 21 May — Campaigns Emma renewed calls for fertility control trials for brumbies using one-dart technology, and launched a petition to stop the ongoing aerial culling. ★ 19 May — Parliament A parliamentary inquiry into dingo management in National Parks was confirmed to be conducted by the Animal Welfare Committee, which Emma chairs. 14 May — Campaigns Emma released hidden Government documents about the greyhound racing regulator GWIC, revealing allegations of racist and sexist language and sexual harassment within the organisation. 13 May — Campaigns Emma criticised the approval of a Sydney rodeo event featuring pyrotechnics and motorbike stunts, calling for an urgent overhaul of the 35-year-old NSW Rodeo Code. ★ 05 May — Campaigns Win for kangaroos: advocacy work with Social Compassion in Legislation helped keep California's ban on the sale of kangaroo body parts in place after industry attempts to overturn it. APRIL27 Apr — Campaigns Emma called for the closure of NSW's last dolphinarium, citing ongoing exemptions that allow the facility to operate despite failing to meet minimum animal welfare standards. 16 Apr — Campaigns Emma raised the case of Brutus, a severely emaciated dog bashed to death, whose owner was fined just $4,000 and banned from owning animals for 10 years, calling for mandatory minimum sentencing for extreme animal abuse. 15 Apr — Campaigns Emma raised the case of Daniel Brighton, highlighting that the NSW Government and DPI continued approving his family's animal businesses despite serious ongoing animal cruelty charges. 14 Apr — Parliament Emma spoke in Parliament about the rescue at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin and campaigners outside MBR Acres in the UK, linking both rescues to failures in animal protection law. WATCH HERE 09 Apr — Parliament Emma spoke in Parliament calling on Californian legislators to hold firm against industry attempts to reverse the ban on selling kangaroo body parts. WATCH HERE MARCH26 Mar — Parliament Emma spoke in Parliament on the more than 40% rise in AFP reports of online child exploitation in a single year, calling for tougher sentencing, real accountability and proper funding for enforcement and survivor support. WATCH HERE 17 Mar — Campaigns Following a guilty verdict against a greyhound trainer on child sexual offences, Emma’s call for papers revealed further issues within the greyhound racing industry, including licensed participants with prior convictions for animal and child sexual abuse. ★ 11 Mar — Campaigns Win for animals: the regulator recommended a ban on cruel SGAR poisons, building on Emma's earlier work with Amazon to end sales of the product. 10 Mar — Campaigns Emma raised concerns that some pounds may still be killing rehomable animals rather than working with rescue groups, in breach of the 2022 reforms banning convenience killing. The Minister has agreed to investigate. WATCH HERE FEBRUARY★ Emma's February newsletter update. READ HERE 12 Feb — Campaigns Emma’s call for papers was passed to uncover what is occurring at a primate breeding facility that rents out baboons for experimentation. WATCH HERE 03 Feb — Campaigns The Government reversed the ban so electric shock collars can be used on cows. Emma is fighting this, moving a disallowance motion in Parliament to stop the cruelty before it starts. ★ 01 Feb — Campaigns $9 million was secured for wildlife care. Wildlife is considered "property of the state" under legislation, but the state leaves the actual care of wildlife to volunteers and vets, who receive little to no funding to cover the cost of saving lives. Emma has been fighting for funding in this space since she was elected, and while this is a good first step, far more, including permanent funding rather than a one-off, is still needed. Emma will keep advocating for that. JANUARY★ 21 Jan — Campaigns Prong collars have been outlawed. Emma said these devices are designed to cause dogs pain around the neck, and that she'd seen graphic images of prong collars cutting through skin and causing serious injuries. She noted animal behaviourists have made clear that positive reinforcement works and negative reinforcement is unnecessary, calling the ban "another long fight, but we got there." As the legislation comes forward, Emma said further changes to animal protection laws will be proposed. ★ 20 Jan — Campaigns New laws will protect animals left in hot cars. Emma noted it takes six minutes for an animal to die in a hot car, and that it took six years of advocacy to convince a Government to make it illegal, saying "our job is hard, but eventually we always win." This will now be outlawed. WATCH HERE |
