Melbourne Cup - we said NUP!
5 Nov 2019
We said NUP to the Cup in multiple ways today, going from the serious when we protested against cruelty to racehorses at the Canberra racecourse, to the seriously funny, racing in inflated T-Rex costumes as part of the inaugural Compassionate Stakes in the centre of Canberra!...
Win for animal activists in District Court
28 Oct 2019
SUCCESSFUL outcome for animal activists in Goulburn District Court today! The activists were appealing the sentences handed to them by the Magistrates Court earlier in the year after the protest at the Goulburn abattoir in April. Today the District Court set aside the lower Court’s...
ACT first jurisdiction to recognise animal sentience in law
17 Oct 2019
The law recognising the sentience and intrinsic value of animals starts TODAY in the ACT! From now, the MAIN objects of the Animal Welfare Act are to recognise that animals are sentient beings able to subjectively feel and perceive the world around them; and that animals have intrinsic value!
USING THE LAW TO PROTECT ANIMALS
Animal Defenders Office
The Animal Defenders Office (ADO) is a non-profit community legal centre specialising in animal law and animal protection matters. The ADO is inspired by the Environmental Defenders Offices, which have been around for decades protecting the environment. Now there's an office dedicated entirely to protecting animals and animal defenders. The ADO provides free advice on how the law affects animals and animal advocates, and how it can be used to protect them. We also take an active role in law reform and policy formulation regarding animals, and provide information materials designed both to increase awareness of animal protection issues and to empower the community to engage in public decision-making affecting animals.

The ADO’s mission is to use the law to protect the interests of animals and to enable compassionate choices for humans.

We are a non-profit community legal centre that depends entirely on volunteers and members, so if you'd like to get involved, we'd love to hear from you.

The ADO is entirely volunteer-based, receives no government support, and relies completely on donations from the public to keep our work going.
ADO Fundraising Wine
Like to help out the ADO by purchasing some enchanting Australian wine? The ADO is supported by Goodwill Wine, a fantastic social enterprise in Victoria that sources the best boutique wines from around Australia while donating to charities with every bottle. The ADO wines are not ‘fined’ with any animal or fish products (ie they are vegan). We will receive a minimum of 50% of the profits resulting from your purchase - cheers to that! Get yours today here: