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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Benita Kolovos Victorian state correspondent

Long-promised animal cruelty prevention laws quietly shelved by Victorian government

A brown dog lying on the floor with a blue wall
The Victorian government has indefinitely shelved proposed new laws to target animal cruelty after committing to reviewing the existing laws almost a decade ago. Photograph: Little Brown Rabbit Photography/Getty Images

A bulldog trapped on a balcony, forced to live among its own faeces. A corgi kept in similarly squalid conditions, surrendered by its owner after community outrage. A Maltese shih tzu beaten with a metal pole – its attacker spared jail.

These are the kinds of animal cruelty cases the Victorian government promised to target with new laws almost a decade ago. But Guardian Australia can reveal those reforms have been shelved indefinitely.

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