Australian senator Lee Rhiannon has introduced legislation to ban the sale of cosmetics and cosmetic ingredients that have been tested on animals in Australia and also to ban the import and sale of cosmetic products tested on animals elsewhere in the world. Rhiannon, who belongs to the Green Party and is the Greens’ animal welfare spokesperson, aims to effect the change by modifying the country’s existing Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989.
“We are encouraged that MPs from both Labour and the Liberals have pledged their support,” she said in a statement. “This takes us one step closer to ending cosmetics animal cruelty in Australia.”
Senator Rhiannon has already pledged her support for Be Cruelty-Free Australia, a coalition of Humane Society International and Humane Research Australia, which has been campaigning on the issue for over a year. The campaign has received cross-party support from a range of Australian politicians, including Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek, Labour MP Anna Burke and Liberal MP Jason Wood.
“The European Union, one of the world’s biggest markets, is already cruelty-free and it’s great that Australia will be joining the list of cruelty-free countries,” said Adam Bandt, the Greens’ Deputy Leader, about the move.
