Here is the letter that Andrew and I sent to our local member Dr. Mike Kelly on May 31, 2011
Dear Dr Kelly,
I am writing to you on behalf of myself and my wife, Billie Dean, in your capacity as our local member for Eden-Monaro and as Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
We must express our deepest concern, and indeed, outrage at the live export trade as conducted by Australia. While many of us have long felt that the current practice of shipping of animals to other countries is nothing short of evil incarnate, the images seen on 4Corners on ABC1 last night, May 30, 2011, including the treatment of animals and the slaughter practices in Indonesia, have once again brought into sharp relief just how unacceptable this is.
We feel that Australia should not be involved in this form of trade and slaughter either actively or passively. It is no longer acceptable to treat animals in this way.
We urge the Australian Government to stop this live trade immediately, and to ban all live exports of all species (cattle, horses, sheep, goats – all of them) and to all countries. We further urge the government to exert whatever pressure it can to encourage Indonesia and other countries to treat animals in a way that is fully humane.
Dr Kelly, we have here a fantastic opportunity to show the rest of the world a moral leadership that is sorely needed. While we understand that there are economic concerns involved, I remind you of what Ghandi once famously said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”
Australia has an opportunity to be a leader in pushing forward for humane treatment of animals. Let us reflect an admirable “greatness of nation”, and immediately stop this cruel and unacceptable practice immediately.
Yours in deep concern,
Andrew Einspruch and Billie Dean
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We encourage you to write your own letters as well. Remember that it is important to not come from anger, but to write letters that people can hear. If you would like to use some of the language we have used, feel free.
