Paper Petition

draws to the attention of the House I am a devoted rabbit lover, currently the proud parent to two bunnies. However, my joy is turning into sorrow as one of my rabbits has been infected with myxomatosis and the other is likely to follow suit. This cruel and agonising disease leaves us with no effective treatment options. Myxomatosis is a lethal virus that affects rabbits, causing severe suffering before leading to death. In Australia, despite the availability of a vaccine overseas, it remains illegal due to fears it could interfere with population control measures for wild rabbits - an invasive species here. However, this approach overlooks our domesticated pets who are part of our families. The current law puts them at risk and leaves us helpless when they contract this devastating disease. The vaccine has proven effective in countries like the UK where it's legalised (source: RSPCA UK). We understand the need for controlling wild rabbit populations but believe there must be a way to protect our beloved pets too without compromising these efforts. It's time we revisited these regulations and found a balanced solution that values both environmental concerns and animal welfare. Let's give domestic rabbits in Australia a fighting chance against myxomatosis by legalising its vaccine.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to We therefore ask the House to revisit the legislation around the vaccine and let pet owners vaccinate their beloved animals. Controls can be put in place like microchipping to ensure domestic vaccinated rabbits aren’t let into the wild even though wild rabbits have already developed a natural immunity against the disease.