January Newsletter | Starting 2026 together for animals 🐾

2026 is here! Let’s make it a BIG year for animals 🐾

Dear Supporters,

We hope you had a safe and restorative holiday period. As the new year begins, things are already moving quickly for animals across NSW.

We started the year with our Central Coast and Newcastle-Hunter regional groups hosting a joyful New Year Picnic, Farewell 2025 and Bring on 2026. It was a beautiful day spent with familiar faces and many new ones, sharing food, conversation, sunshine and time together by the water. With a delicious lunch from Food Farmacy and space to relax under the trees, it was the perfect way to begin the year grounded in community and compassion.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the day so special. 🌞🌊

Not long after, our Central West regional group came together at the Orange Botanic Gardens for a relaxed catch up focused on animals, local issues and the year ahead. It was wonderful to see new connections forming and to hear thoughtful conversations about what matters most for animals in the region.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to attend and be part of building change locally. 🌳🐶

Your most powerful action right now 👇

Become a member of the Animal Justice Party

Membership is how we turn care for animals into political strength. Every member increases our influence in Parliament, strengthens our campaigns, and helps protect animals when decisions are being made without them.

👉 It’s what keeps the Animal Justice Party alive in NSW.
👉 It’s what shows government that people take animal issues seriously.
👉 It’s what gives us the numbers, legitimacy and influence to push back against powerful industries and demand better laws.

Your membership gives you access to:

• Members-only webinars and training sessions
• Behind-the-scenes insights into our work in Parliament
• Events including exclusive meetings with our MP Emma Hurst

Without strong membership numbers across NSW, we lose political influence. Growing our membership is essential to re-electing Emma Hurst in 2027 and strengthening dedicated political representation for animals in Parliament.

Exciting Events Coming Up! ✨

Get ready to connect and be a voice for animals.

We have these major events that you won’t want to miss.

2026 Fair Day

🗓️ Sunday 15 February | From 10am

📍 Victoria Park, corner of Parramatta Road and City Road, Sydney

Fair Day is one of the biggest community days of the year and entry is free. We will be there with a vibrant stall, meeting people, sharing our message of kindness and building momentum for animals.

🙋 We need volunteers!

Volunteering is a brilliant way to get involved, meet like-minded people, and be part of change for animals. You will be supported by experienced AJP members, work alongside other passionate advocates and enjoy a welcoming and fun day together.

Email [email protected] to be part of this fantastic community event!

Join the Event Here!

2026 Animal Rights Forum

🗓️ Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 February | 8.30am start

📍 Sydney Masonic Centre, 66 Goulburn Street, Sydney

The Animal Rights Forum is a major gathering of animal advocates and campaigners from across Australia. Animal Justice Party MPs Emma Hurst and Amanda Dorn will speak about recent wins for animals, the challenges ahead and their work in Parliament.

🙋 Sign up to volunteer!

We are looking for volunteers to help across Saturday and Sunday. This is a great opportunity to be part of a national advocacy event, support our stall, and connect with others who care about animal rights. You will be fully supported, work as part of a friendly team and be right at the heart of the action.

🎟️ All volunteer tickets will be organised by us. You do not need to purchase or arrange a ticket yourself.

Email [email protected] to volunteer and join us at this important event.

Join the Event Here!

Find out more | Get Tickets

Take Action for Animals!

Make a Submission to Protect Animals at Riverstone Wetlands

The NSW Government is proposing a major rezoning at Marsden Park North that would destroy Riverstone Wetlands to make way for industrial development, housing, and infrastructure.

For animals, this means losing a place they already depend on. Riverstone Wetlands are living habitat, providing food, shelter, and refuge for migratory birds, waterbirds, and vulnerable species like the Green and Golden Bell Frog. Animals cannot fight back against planning decisions that erase their homes. They need us to speak for them.

We have created a simple submission guide to help you take action for animals and put habitat protection on the public record. Submissions can be short and only take around 10 minutes.

⏰ Submissions close 5.00pm, 30 January 2026

Even a few sentences in your own words can make a big difference for animals.

Use our guide to make a submission

Until Every Cage is Empty – art exposing animal suffering

We are proud to be an official partner of Until Every Cage is Empty, a multi-artist exhibition using visual art to expose the hidden realities of animal exploitation and affirm animal sentience.

Through painting, illustration, sculpture, wearable art and activism, the exhibition confronts systems that commodify animals while also highlighting the environmental harm caused by animal agriculture. It is confronting, thoughtful, and grounded in compassion, justice, and liberation.

The exhibition features works by Marina DeBris, Melvy Connell, Little Vegan Artist, Sabrina Maia Stasia of F.E.A.R Apparel, and Pawel Zawislak.

Together, these artists use their creative practice to give visibility to suffering that is routinely ignored and to challenge the idea that animals exist for human use.

If you are able, we encourage you to support this project by donating or sharing it with your networks. Cultural work plays a powerful role in shifting attitudes, and this exhibition does exactly that.

Learn more and get involved

Good news for animals 🎉

Greyhound tracks at Wagga Wagga, Broken Hill and Muswellbrook are set to close! 🎉

These closures follow the Drake Inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW. This is a step away from harm, but it is not enough. Greyhounds deserve full protection, not partial reform.

In 2025, racing ended at seven regional NSW tracks. Now, in 2026, three more will close.

We will keep fighting until all greyhounds are safe and free from racing. #BringBacktheBan

💬 Take our short poll:

Which animal issue matters most to you right now?

As the new year begins, we would love to hear from you about what is happening for animals and what matters most to you right now.

In politics, issues can shift quickly. We are active across many animal protection campaigns and value hearing directly from you about what is happening for animals and what you want to see pushed next.

👉 Take the poll here