Freedom of Species

This episode is dedicated to animal rights and vegan activist Liz Dealey or Lizzie as she was affectionately  known.  Lizzie was tireless and relentless in her aim to bring more kindness and consideration into the world. Her whirlwind energy saw her found Melbourne Chicken Save, and dedicate decades of focus, passion and time into the animal rights activist landscape, especially in Melbourne.  Her inclusive leadership, her sense of humour, the heart on her sleeve way she carried herself, and her punk rock energy endeared her to several generations of activists.  Lizzie's life and works are remembered here in this episode by Stace f...

Meg and Trev interview Friends of the Earth land use researcher Anthony Amis. Listen in to learn about the interesting story of koalas in Victoria, their populations, genetic and environmental challenges, the lack of government priority in conservation of land that supports koala friendly ecosystems, and the dedicated network of people who have been gathering data and conducting scientific reseach to help us understand what needs to be done to save the koals.  Friends of the Earth www.foe.org.au Koalathon website: https://koalathon.raiselysite.com/ Koala map https://strzkoala.australianmap.net/ Information on Mullungdung https://www.melbournefoe.org.au/mullungdun...

Adam and Nick reflect on their personal experiences and practical issues around caring for companion animals who have significant health issues. They also consider what policy/societal changes could be made to better support companion animals and their human carers.  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Dogs Are The Best People by The Fauves: https://thefauves.com/store Dogs Of My Neighbourhood by Jeffrey Lewis: https://jeffreylewis.bandcamp.com/track/dogs-of-my-neighborhood-2 The Staffie Song by Maria Daines: https://maria-daines.com/songs-for-a-cause

Dr. Leila Dehghan is a doctor-turned-nutritionist, activist, and educator. Her journey to veganism began as an animal rescuer, but she later discovered the healing power of a whole food, plant-based diet, which helped her overcome debilitating migraines. This experience shifted her career focus, leading her to earn a Master’s in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition from University College London.   Leila is the founder of Plant-based Health Justice, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about the interconnectedness of oppression and advocating for a healthier, sustainable world by fostering justice, equity, and compassion for all.   Her passion for education also led her to...

In today’s show, an introduction to the wool series, Betty and Trev respond to a podcast episode called ‘Wearing Hair’ from ‘Articles of Interest’ by Avery Trufelman. We discuss the concept of wearing human hair textiles as an alternative biomaterial as spearheaded by the Dutch company ‘Human Material Loop’ asking… is it vegan to wear human hair? We go on to unpack some of the inherent ethical issues with sheep’s wool as a material and critique the wool advocacy of author and knitting influencer, Clara Parkes.  Music played: Hair – The Cowsills: https://archive.org/details/the-cowsills-hair. Lachlan Tigers – The Bushwackers Band (1977...

This episode is a trivia show, with questions related to animals, animal rights and veganism. Listen in and see if you can think of the answers before the Freedom of Species listeners and hosts get them! The show is hosted by Jennifer, Jasmine, Gonzalo and Nick.  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ I like birds by Eels: https://www.eelstheband.com/ Pigs…(in there) by Robert Wyatt: https://open.spotify.com/track/33HqYo8b3I9xPdEALEdFFi?si=94b218e3539542e8 Apartment 402 by girl in red: https://girlinred.lnk.to/Listen  You can subscribe to 3CR here: https://ww...

Our guests on today's show are Jolene and Duaine from Project Fresh Start, a vegan food relief charity operating in the south eastern region of Melbourne/Naarm.  Project Fresh Start's mission is to address the challenges of food insecurity and food waste. They aim to eliminate the obstacles faced by marginalised people in accessing nutritious plant-based foods. Their initiatives are designed to achieve this goal by repurposing food waste to create healthy meals and fostering social connections through community lunches and food education programs. For further information and to get in contact about volunteering, please refer to their website here: htt...

In 2008 during the Greek Austerity riots, a strange phenomena was born. Stray dogs began joining in the protests in Athens Greece against the IMF and their austerity measures directed toward every day citizens. These good boys and girls would voluntarily join protests and actively try to protect protesters against the police and their violence, siding always with the demonstrators. Photographers and videographers were the first to notice that the same dogs were turning up day after day, barking at the police, grabbing and running away with tear gas cannisters and otherwise trying to help their human comrades. They became known as...

In today’s summer special, Betty takes Nick and the listeners through 12,000 years of the cannabis plant. Starting in the ancient world, through the age of sail and into the modern era, we follow the cannabis plant on its global journey and its role in human politics and development. We finish with a discussion on cannabis pharmacology, drug prohibition and challenges facing the revival of the hemp industry in modern times.Music has been removed from the podcast version of the show due to copyright. Please check out the music featured on the live show through these links or on ou...

Summer Special Join Meg as she talks about her father's country of Wales, the Welsh language, mythology and people and her connection to this historic and mysterious land. All music is in the Welsh language.  The music has been edited out of the podcast due to copyright issues, please see below for menitoned music in order of play.  Y Bwci Bos  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YwB0rcFuk&list=PLNq6F0_BGDH-BWQVvEfStYdlSmz6k_91u&index=4 Bendigeidfran  https://open.spotify.com/track/6It02drTDP4S2HbBIyeVG4?si=GLvjU-TaR8GKL3srJ4zXmg Seithennyn  https://youtu.be/HAmV-EZneag?si=rNIIYcbAOKlJC00M Pais Dinogad...

On this Summer Special, Hayden and Nick discuss Reddit stories covering a wide range of topics, including: chosen names, religion, work, class, dogs, sexuality, gender and cheating. Happy Holidays!  During the Freedom of Species timeslot Sunday 1-2pm, there will be Summer Specials for the next few weeks. Meg will be covering the women’s liberation movement on Dec 29 and Jan 12 and Betty will be discussing the history and politics of the cannabis plant on Jan 5. We will return to normal Freedom of Species programming on Jan 19.  A note to listeners that music is not included in the podcast version of the...

Hayden, Katie, Nick and Moo Moo discuss Reddit stories through a vegan lens, focusing on the social aspects of veganism. The stories are from Am I The Asshole, Confessions and Vegan sub-Reddits.   Links: Happy Cow’s Top 25 Vegan-Friendly Cities 2025: https://www.happycow.net/vegtopics/travel/top-vegan-friendly-cities Vegan Australia’s 12 Days of Vegan Christmas campaign – check it out for tips, gift ideas, and recipes for the holiday period: https://mailchi.mp/veganaustralia/12daysofchristmas-1?e=3b5432212c Throughout the discussion, vegan dogs came up. For more on this topic, check out the veterinarian Andrew Knight’s website: https://sustainablepetfood.info/vegetarian-canine-diets/  A note to listene...

Why do we overlook insects so often? In this show we decided to focus on insects for a change. Our guest Alex Hill is doing his PhD research on human insect relationships. We discuss why people including animal advocates and vegans do not consider insects much at all. We have a short quiz on insects, we talk about the threat of insect extinction and look into the details about different species of insects. Music Played: Graeme Revell 'La Danse Des Ténèbres (Dance Of Shadows)' https://youtu.be/6DVbfPq4B9Y?feature=shared&t=742 Adrianne Lenker 'ingydar' https://adria...

This show features Ruby Ramsden on her PhD research on vegan activism in Japan. Some of the specific topics covered are: barriers to eating vegan in Japan, Ruby’s vegan/animal journey, “insider” and “outsider” research, a history of veganism and animal consumption in Japan, and tactical vegan advocacy.   You can look further into Ruby’s work by checking out her article Veganism in Japan: How ‘soft’ activism is changing minds in a meat-eating nation: https://www.melbourneasiareview.edu.au/veganism-in-japan-how-soft-activism-is-changing-minds-in-a-meat-eating-nation/  We also briefly touched on the Maintenance Phase podcast episode ‘Soy Boys’: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6XaOAFq1c49TpVOFFe9j2v?si=f87353dbab...

In this episode Meg interviews Rachel from Animal-Free Science Advocacy (AFSA), a not for profit organisation dedicated to advocating for the removal of animals from experimental science.  We talk about AFSA's efforts to facilitate a culture of animal free alternatives in research, experimentation and training, and how this relates to the evolution of non animal experimental models of all kinds. Join us as we talk about current technology, how AFSA is tapping into this ever evolving aspect of research, and why it's important to move away from animal models for scientific progress.  https://animalfreescienceadvocacy.org.au/what-you-can-do/ https://www.youtube.com/@Ani...

Katie and Nick discuss well-known vegan spiritual figure Supreme Master Ching Hai supporting Donald Trump. We use this as a starting point to cover broader issues around connections between spiritual/wellness movements, including some vegans, and the far-right. This broader discussion draws on Naomi Klein’s book Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World.  Links: We’re releasing this show as two separate podcasts. You can hear part one of this show, where we analyse the book and movie Uglies from an animal rights perspective, via our website and a range of podcast apps: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode...

Katie and Nick analyse the book and movie Uglies through an animal rights lens. The movie is streaming on Netflix but Katie recommends the book over the movie!  We’re releasing this show as two separate podcasts. You can hear part two of this show, covering wellness/spiritual people including some vegans supporting Donald Trump, via our website and a range of podcast apps: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/supreme-master-supports-trump-conspirituality-and-vegan-movement  Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ I Don’t Like Myself by girli: https://girlimusic.com/en-au

In this show, Meg and Caroline discuss the history of companion animals and pethood and the ethical dilemmas this can raise.   Music we played:       Strange Fruit by Billie Holliday       This is America by Childish Gambino       Gibson Girl by Ethel Cain       We also highlighted the work of  Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS). MALS is an all-volunteer organisation that provides training for protest movements, information & resources on the rights to protest in Victoria, and fields Legal Observer Teams that monitor and report on the policing of protest events. MALS train organisers and activist groups in legal support approaches and strategies, and can help coordinate activis...

Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P) is a volunteer-based non-profit organization focused on veganism and food justice.  F.E.P's mission to to create a more just and sustainable world by recognising the power of one's food choices. They encourage healthy good choices that reflect a more compassionate sociert by spotlightin the abuse of animals on farms, the depletion of natural resources, unfair working conditions for produce workers, and the lack of availability of healthy foods in low-income areas. Please see the links below for further details on their work and impact for food justice. We also spoke about Plant the...

On this show, we play the recording of a recent panel discussion, "One Year In: Reflections and the Ongoing Resistance" held on September 28, 2024 and hosted by Dr Leila Dehghan. In this conversation, the panel reflect on the televised genocide of the Palestinians, the silence within the vegan and animal rights movement, and discuss actionable steps for moving forward in solidarity. This panel discussion is available on YouTube as a video recording. If you'd like to watch that, please find it here.    Dr Leila Dehghan, doctor turned plant-based nutritionist and the Founding Director of Plant-based Health Justice. Plant-based Health Justice’s initiativ...

We need to talk about an issue that doesn't get as much discussion as it needs. It's a particularly important topic right now with the state of the world and the exhaustion some activists are feeling.  Today we are talking about activist burnout, what it means, how we get to this point and what both the individual activist and the justice movements as a whole can do to prevent it happening and create a supportive, understanding and sustainable structure where activists can continue to do the good work while also giving back to themselves, nurturing their relationships and ensuring they don't...

Sometimes if we take a look at how animals were percieved in the past, it can give us new insight into our perceptions of animals today.  Join Meg and Trev to discuss how people in Medieval times in Europe perceived animals wild, domesticated and fantastical. We look at how the dominant paradigms of the times (Paganism and Christianity) affected how different animals were treated, the unique relationships peope of the time had with animals, how the different classes of people viewed animals, and take a look at human art from the Medieval period in the form of colourful depictions of ani...

Katie, Lottie and Nick go through common characteristics of cults and whether any of them apply to veganism. For those that do, we also discuss if they apply just to some vegans, or are inherent to veganism. Throughout the show, we draw on Katie’s childhood experiences in a cult, Amanda Montell’s book Cultish and the podcast episode ‘The Cult of Veganism’ by Sounds Like A Cult.  Links: Amanda Montell’s book Cultish: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780062993151/cultish/ The podcast episode ‘The Cult of Veganism’ by Sounds Like a Cult: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5qpFLQnkE4uonawnCnmWcF?si=E9t7L658Q8ysJdWUMIY...

Julia, Lottie, Trev and Nick discuss effective altruism – donating to organisations that do the greatest good. We cover animals being sidelined in some EA resources and we evaluate the evaluations of the most effective animal charities.  Links: Animal Charity Evaluators: https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/recommended-charity-fund-update-july-2024/ Effective Altruism Australia: https://effectivealtruism.org.au/best-charities/ The Life You Can Save: https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org.au/ Give Well - https://www.givewell.org/ Giving What We Can - https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/ The Good It Promises, the Harm It Does – Critical Essays on Effective Altruism: https://academic.oup.com/book/45591 Plant The Land: https://www.p...

On this show we discuss Disrupt Land Forces, the coalition of community groups who created a week long festival of resistance bringing diverse actionists and tactics into the joined struggle against the arms trade.   Land Forces is the largest land based weapons expo in the Southern Hemisphere, and it was held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre in Naarm/Melbourne in September 2024. Protestors were met with excessive use of force by police including the use of OC spray, rubber bullets, flash-bangs, physical violence and riding horses into the crowd resulting in injuries.    Links to the event and media discussed on the...

In today’s show Betty and Trev take us through the diverse ecosystems of Palestine, the meeting point of three continents. We discuss the agricultural history and the impact of Zionist occupation and land use changes on the landscapes and animals of Palestine.  Music played:Rasha Nahas 'Desert' - https://rashanahas.bandcamp.com/album/desertDaniel Kahn 'Oy, Ir Narishe Tsienistn' - https://aurismedia.bandcamp.com/album/the-unternationale-the-first-unternationalDAM 'Min Imhabi' - https://open.spotify.com/album/6gBrqhOboMpHdfc2dIAFCw  DAM - Min Imhabi English Lyrics Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcHRW14K2SM  Support Mutual Aid in Gaza: https://www.gofundme.com...

On this show we welcome back Zane McNeill to discuss their new edited collection: Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontline of Labor and Animal Rights (published by Peter Lang, 2024). This incredible collection of contributions from activists and scholars about the structures of violence and oppression that are shared by human and non-human labourers working and dying in necropolitical facilities. The book also asks readers to consider the intersection between class and species, race, gender and other categories of oppression, and the ways that the contemporary Animal Activist Non-profit Sector (AANS) upholds hierarchies in its mission towards animal l...

Would aliens treat us the way we treat animals? If aliens landed today and we made first contact, what would be the outcome for us? Could we justify expecting compassionate treatment from a technologically superior civilisation when we ourselves cannot show this compassion for those we see as inferior?  Meg delves into the idea of first contact in all its manifestations, how this might go for us, and how the knowledge we are not alone might change our ideas of all life on earth and how we treat that life.  Music by Remains to be Seen https://remainstobeseen.bandcamp.com/album...

Trigger warning: this show includes discussion about violence, drugs, and suicide.  On this show we discuss prison abolition, the links to animal rights, and abolitionist alternatives.   Links: Angela Y. Davis's book: Are Prisons Obsolete? https://www.akpress.org/areprisonsobsolete.html Clementine Morrigan substack blog: https://www.clementinemorrigan.com/ Clementine Morrigan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clementinemorrigan?igsh=Y2VpM3c3b2QxY2N0 For Harriet interview with Professor Leigh Goldmark. What should happen to abusers if we don't lock them up? https://youtu.be/vmZqyYFudVg?si=mL6j_FiZ1mAIX0kf Leigh Goodmark's book: Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Policy Approach to...

In light of the recent legislation to end Australia's live sheep trade by May 2028, Nick and Adam reflect on the history of the stop live export campaign. More specifically, the show covers: alliances between animal activists and slaughterhouse workers, “animal nationalism” and debates about the campaign within the movement. We discuss what animal activists can learn from this history, regardless of which campaign/s they’re focused on.   When we discuss the history of the campaign, we primarily draw on Gonzalo Villanueva’s book – A Transnational History of the Australian Animal Movement, 1970–2015: https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319625867  Additional links: Corey Wrenn’s ess...

On today’s Freedom of species show, Meg takes you on a journey of the mind, tackling the all pervasive idea that humans are the most important species on the planet. We look at the history of this paradigm, and how it influences all aspects of our society and drives our activities of progress and expansion, and the ways this has been disastrous to the animals that share our planet and the natural ecosystems they live in. Can we dismantle and leave behind this destructive philosophy, or will we reign supreme over the planet to the detriment of all the othe...

Meg and guest Lydia Lobb discuss just how pervasive and insidious animal exploitation paradigms are in our education systems at all levels. From kinder milk programs to rodeo fundraisers and free fishing rods, animal exploitation seems to be baked into our education system in Australia. We talk about many examples and the difficulties of navigating the system when raising compassionate kids.  Have things gotten better over time? What was it like for our generation? Our parents generation? And will it become better for future generations?  Music: Human Race by Baby Blue https://babybluemelbourne.bandcamp.com/track/human-race September by Earth, Wind an...

In today’s show, Betty and Nick launch into part 2 about the animals and ecosystems in and around the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We share some history of how and why the DMZ barrier was reinforced and the relationship between landmines, the ecology and civilians in the area. We share the story of how a pre-industrial rice paddy irrigation pond is providing habitats for a variety of species and why the future of this zone still remains so uncertain. We discuss different theories of peace and how animal survival is often in conflict with capitalist interests.  Links: Part 1 of this series on wi...

In today’s show Betty and Trev talk about the accidental wildlife reserve that has emerged inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We talk about the history leading up to Korea’s national division and the story of a bird that connected a separated family by flying over the border. We finish with the story of some unexpected WWII heroes from the Tiwi Islands. Tune in next week for Part 2. Book referenced: Making Peace with Nature: Ecological Encounters Along the Korean DMZ. Eleana J. Kim, 2022 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands website: https://www.ramsar.org/country-profile/democratic-peoples-republic-korea  Music Played: Ahn Ye Eun 'Song of C...

Our political, societal and legislative landscape is changed by the information whistleblowers and activists bring to light, and in the current legal and political system, they often do this at great cost to themselves and their families.  In today's show, Meg and Trev explore what this means for the activists who collect and disseminate footage from slaughterhouses, farms and other locations within the animal agriculture industry, and how our country's current 'Ag Gag' laws actively discourage and restrict the truth of what is occuring from being made public.  ABC 7.30 report on Farm Transparency Project's footage of pig slaughterhouses: https://animalsaustralia.org/o...

Today Trev welcomes new presenter Betty Melon to the Freedom of Species team. Betty shares her reluctant journey to veganism and her history of animal advocacy. We introduce the meaning of the Anthropocene, a geologic time period defined by human activity and we discuss the implications of national borders and militarisation on wildlife and nature. We finish with a discussion of American imperialism and the role of McDonald's in global geopolitics. Fact correction: as of 2024 there are 195 countries on earth and 118 of them have McDonald's.  Links: BDS Campaign: https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide  Music Played: Séimí 'Bound' https://seimi.bandcamp.com/album...

Play along and see if you can beat other listeners to the correct answers!  Please donate to Radiothon to keep 3CR Radical Radio on-air: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies?     Music played: The Decline 'Sentience or Selfishness' - https://peerecords.bandcamp.com/album/im-not-gonna-lie-to-you Vespertine 'Perfect Storm' - https://vespertineband.tripod.com/id2.html

On today’s show we discuss intersectionality, liberation and veganism with our guest, Andrew. Andrew is a Melbourne born, raised, and based vegan activist of 18 years, advocating for human and non-human animal rights and social justice issues, whilst also raising a young vegan family. Being proudly Māori, Andrew is focussed on decolonialism in thought and praxis, intersectionality and allyship, and applying these principles to strengthen connections across a variety of communities, and currently invested in Palestinian liberation and anti-war efforts. Links:Kristy Alger’s book: Five Essays for Freedom: A Political Primer for Animal Advocates https://revoltbooks.com/products/feffAp...

Lottie, Hayden and Nick discuss the movies Okja and Chicken Run 1 and 2, plus the TV show Peep Show, through an animal rights lens. We also touch on the movies: Legally Blonde 2, Paddington and 101 Dalmatians, the TV show Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell, and the stand-up comedy show COMPANION - Interesting Comedy Special by Sam Campbell.   Links: Help Sick Baby Jamil and Family of 6 Survive – fundraiser for a family in Gaza: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-ezzeddin-family You can check out the study Hayden mentioned regarding needing 10% of the population to strongly hold a belief for it to be adopted by the ma...

Laura Schleifer is the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Conference Director, Program Chair at Promoting Enduring Peace, and co-founder of Plant the Land, a Gaza-based vegan food justice/community projects team. A lifelong “artivist” and graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts, she’s performed throughout the Middle East with a circus troupe, taught in China, Nicaragua, and at Wesleyan University’s Green Street Arts Center, performed off-Broadway, and arts-mentored homeless youth. Her screenplay, The Feral Child, was a Sundance Screenwriters’ Lab finalist. Her essays appear in New Politics Magazine, Forca Vegan, and multiple anthologies, including "Expanding the Critical Animal Studi...