Watch MP Emma Hurst Inaugural Speech at New South Wales Parliament
About Emma
Emma Hurst is a Member of the New South Wales (Australia) Legislative Council representing the Animal Justice Party.
Visit her Website: www.emmahurstmp.com
Born and raised in Sydney, Emma traces her passion for animal protection back to her childhood when she was cradling a hen. Realizing the hen was purring and showed joy the same way as her rescue cat, she realized animals were sentient and made it her life goal to fight on behalf of those who are voiceless.
Emma has been campaigning for animal protection for many years, having worked at several animal protection organizations. During this time, Emma ran a number of highly successful campaigns that saw two major duck producers successfully prosecuted by the ACCC, the end of various cruel wild goat racing events, multiple companies including major burger chains and butchers cease their sales of rabbit meat, and hundreds of animals rehomed from medical research.
Soon after her election as a Member of Parliament, Emma established and chaired a NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into the Use of Battery Cages for Hens in the Egg Production Industry, recommending a phase-out of battery cage hen farming in NSW.
Emma has since established and sat on a series of Inquiries into animal protection issues. These Inquiries have brought animal protection to the forefront of the Parliamentary agenda, exposing the horrific animal cruelty in animal experimentation facilities, changing laws around the use of cetaceans for entertainment, and creating recommendations for transFARMation in the dairy industry.
During her time in Parliament, Emma has also been a strong opponent of Australian ag-gag laws, fighting against the NSW Government's Right to Farm Bill which aims to silence whistle-blowers and stop animal cruelty from being exposed.
Emma is also pushing for a Government-assisted approach to transFARMation: a transition away from animal agribusiness and towards ethical plant-based agriculture and cellular-based meats.