Bestiality And Australia

Singer was presented with the award, which is the greatest civic honour in Australia and given for “merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large,” on Monday at the 2012 Queen’s Birthday honours. It was granted for his “eminent service to philosophy and bioethics as a leader of public debate and communicator of ideas in the areas of global poverty, animal welfare and the human condition.”^[2]

Religion does not play a central part in the lives of many Australians: 48 per cent of Australians surveyed said they did not partake in personal prayer and 52 per cent said they rarely attended a place of worship for religious reasons.^[3]

Australians are more religious than we might have thought - 68 per cent of us believe in God or a universal spirit, and 50 per cent say religion is important or very important in their lives.

But atheists and agnostics also had a strong showing in the national survey of 1000 respondents, which was taken early this week.

Almost one in four Australians (24 per cent) do not believe in either God or a universal spirit, and 7 per cent are not sure or say they don't know.

Nearly a quarter of us believe the biblical account of human origins over the Darwinian account. Forty-two per cent of people believe in a wholly scientific explanation for the origins of life and 32 per cent believe in an evolutionary process guided by God.^[6]

Neither the SA parliament nor courts have engaged with the argument, most prominently promoted by ethicist Peter Singer, that sexual activity between animals and humans is not necessarily exploitative or abusive of the animal and not an affront to an individual’s humanity, as human beings are also animals. The comparison with the penalty for incest demonstrates the seriousness with which the parliament views bestiality. Until now, the judicial attitude to the offence was untested.^[7]

The man is alleged to have cycled up to two young women walking their dogs through an enclosed bicycle path in the western Sydney suburb of Greystanes last month.

Police will allege he exposed himself to both and assaulted one of their dogs. The pair fled as the man allegedly began to turn and attack another animal.

The 39-year-old man has been charged with bestiality and committing an act of indecency.^[8]

The unnamed woman responded in 2013 to a Craigslist advertisement from a man who sought a female willing to perform bestial acts, which he recorded. She agreed and had sex with the man’s dog which the Herald Sun reported was believed to be a terrier.

Court of Appeal Justice David Jackson, in overturning the lower court’s decision, explained, “The offence was instigated by the man who sought sexual gratification from it … It does not appear that (the woman) sought the same gratification, rather, she was prepared to accommodate the man’s wishes for a short time.”^[12]

Jenna Louise Driscoll, 26, faced Brisbane District Court on Thursday when she also entered guilty pleas to three drug-related matters.

She is expected to be sentenced on November 3.^[13]

Four of the charges were for engaging in sexual activity with an animal.

The remaining charges related to several offences that took place between January and November 2012.

Lee has been charged with unlawfully confining a 15-year-old girl, rape, assault causing actual and grievous bodily harm, accessing child pornography and using a child for the production of child pornography.^[14]