"THE relentless torture of a pet cat that was shot 27 times at point-blank range in the head and neck with an air rifle has outraged animal welfare authorities." [© Cairns Post, 2-Mar-09]

Clearly, the self-confessed wildlife serial killer finds his behaviour with slaughtering kangaroos acceptable to the extent he is educating his son in the same practices from an early age. It is likely he himself learnt this attitude and behavior from his own father. But animal abuse is not normal behaviour. It is immoral and unacceptable in civil society.

Animal abusers are five times more likely to commit violent crimes against people...than are individuals without a history of animal abuse.

Australians have been very reluctant to come to the party when it comes to eating kangaroos themselves, maybe it's got something to do with us viewing roo meat as something that is only fit for the dog. So what is the dog actually eating? Is it euro chunks? Diced eastern grey? Maybe minced Bennetts wallaby? Does it matter? Maybe it is easier for us to stomach roo meat when we don't have to put a face to it ... a sort of miscellaneous meat.

Is it any wonder people who care about the world feel disempowered and ineffective when they wait months for a reply from a politician and, if they get one at all, find it is a form letter that fails to address the concerns they raised?

How can you and I make a difference when our leaders aren't listening to us? Do we become apathetic and give up or do we try new tactics?

This is an ongoing blog that I invite you to contribute to by way of reply. Perhaps together we can find what does work, if anything. It's our future - if we let the corporations and leaders who are corrupted by them call the shots, we won't have one.

Landholders in Victoria are being given permits to kill tens of thousands of protected kangaroos every year, even in good seasons and in areas not affected by drought. This is despite research showing that kangaroos do not compete with stock for pasture. Kangaroos are also being shot without proper assessment of population numbers, locally or regionally, putting them at risk of local and regional extinction. This is despite the some one million native animals killed on Black Saturday.
(photo source: www.business.vic.gov.au)

Australia's Federal Minister for the Environment (etc), Peter Garett MP, controls and administers a national legal code permitting various species of kangaroos to be killed for commercial gain and export of meat and hides. Nationally this permission is prescribed under the National Code of Practice for the Humane Shooting of Kangaroos and Wallabies for Commercial Purposes' [The Code]

How dare John Kelly of the despicable commercial kangaroo killing industry ask for handouts due to the fallout from Russia placing a ban on kangaroo meat imports! Our taxpayers should not be giving handouts to help "restructure" this vile and cruel industry.

The Australian outback town of Mitchell lies in the Western Downs region of southern Queensland on the Warrego Highway just shy of 600 km west of Brisbane on the way to Charleville. Situated on the Maranoa River, the town of Mitchell was named in honour of the 19th Century explorer, and the town emerged as a pastoral town out of the farming of grains, beef and sheep. Tourism has become a strong drawcard to Mitchell and especially to its Great Artesian Spa.

But more recently, Mitchell's fame has been lowered to infamy with it taking on a reputation for becoming the home of the kangaroo slaughter trade.

Australia's Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon MP, has just been handed $26,950,000,000 to unjustifiably escalate Australia's military aggression. This at a time when Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan says the world economy is gripped by the worst recession in 50 years.

Hypocritically at the same time, Fitzgibbon has rejected spending just $3.5 million in order to avoid slaughtering thousands of Australia's grey kangaroos fenced in on Defence land just outside Canberra. Fitzgibbon has condoned the senseless slaughter of 4000 of a population of 9000 trapped kangaroos be shot in secret, just last Saturday, 9th May 2009.

UNSW is about to implement a program ironically called FATE whereby NSW farmers will be paid to allow kangaroo shooters to come on their land and shoot kangaroos. The last thing kangaroos need is less protection. Already they are copping it from every direction. With populations crashing across the country, this is the last thing they need. Professor Archer, take your FATE program and bury it!