The country’s coalition government, along with its Labor and Green parties, have all committed to the change in legislation, an announcement by the country’s assistant minister for health, Key Wyatt, and its member for La Trobe, Jason Wood, confirmed.
It means Australia will ban the practice of testing cosmetics on animals domestically, and also outlaws the sale of any products from abroad which contain ingredients that have been tested on animals.
Australians in favour
A poll by Nexus Research in 2013 found that a strong majority of Australians (85%) oppose using animals in the development of cosmetics, suggesting the ban will be welcomed by consumers in the country.
Indeed, brands which boast organic and ethical credentials already enjoy widespread popularity among consumers in the country.
Global move
Animal testing for cosmetics has seen an increasingly global backlash in recent years: the European Union, Norway, Israel, India, South Korea and Turkey are all among the growing list of markets which have made moves to remove or reduce the practice.
Pressure groups have been pushing the issue with governments across the world, with the Humane Society International (HSI) a key group.
Hannah Stuart, for the HSI’s #BeCrueltyFree Australia campaign, said: “There is a growing global trend towards eliminating the sale of newly animal tested beauty products and their ingredients, and today’s announcement will put Australia on the map as the next country to say NO to cosmetics cruelty.”
The global shift towards banning the practice of cosmetics testing on animals has driven demand for new, alternative testing methods in the industry, with multinational Unilever and personal care trade association, Cosmetics Europe, two bodies leading the charge.