Melbourne Law School is teaching animal law to undergraduate students for the first time this year.

The head of the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel, Graeme McEwen, will be intimately involved with the course’s delivery. Areas covered include constitutional issues affecting animal welfare, administrative law remedies and consideration of the rights of protesters.

The Subject Overview reads,

The subject examines Australian law which aims to protect the welfare of animals. The subject has three main components. First, the subject explores the history of the law of protecting animals generally. Second, the subject will explore ethical and theoretical justifications of animal welfare law. Finally, the subject examines current Australian state and federal legislation, regulations and general law which seeks to protect the welfare of companion animals and farm animals including those animals being exported for sale. The subject will also examine how such law has been invoked by protestors of animal cruelty in defence of charges brought against them. Included in the examination of Australian legislation is a consideration of, and to what extent, if any, the law in Australia requires reform.

The full course outline can be found here.