Help close Australia's domestic ivory market

It may be surprising for some, but Australia has a domestic ivory market. IFAW's 'Under the Hammer' report into the trade of elephant ivory and rhino horn showed that there is a flourishing domestic market here worth hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, with little monitoring or regulation of the sale of these items.

On 28 March 2018, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement initiated an inquiry into the trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn. The time for Australia to step up and close down the domestic trade of ivory is now.

Internationally, the tide has begun turning against ivory trade. On 31st December 2017, China's legal domestic ivory trade officially and historically came to a close. One hundred per cent of China's licensed ivory carving factories and retailers have been shut down in accordance with a commitment made by the Chinese government in 2015. France and the United States have implemented bans on domestic sales of ivory. The government of the United Kingdom announced in April 2018, their intention to legislate a ban, creating the strictest conditions to date on any domestic ivory ban. These countries represent a large proportion of the global ivory market.

If the world's largest market for ivory can be closed, then Australia has no reason not to do the same! Send a message to Federal Minister for Environment and Energy, Josh Frydenberg and encourage the Australian Government to take a stand by supporting the efforts of the international community to shut down all domestic markets. Any trade in ivory anywhere threatens the survival of elephants.
Dear Minister,

As a supporter of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) I was delighted by the news out of the UK that they were intent on shutting down their domestic ivory trade. The United Kingdom joins the United States of America, China and Hong Kong SAR in the global movement to shut down domestic ivory markets. 

International will to close domestic ivory markets is gaining momentum. At the 17th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP17) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES), 152 Governments (including Australia) adopted a Decision by consensus to shut domestic ivory markets where trade is contributing to the illegal poaching of elephants in Africa. While recognising that Australia is not considered a major market compared to China and the UK, the fact remains that any legal market for ivory or "white gold" provides cover for criminal syndicates to launder illegal ivory into legal markets. Australia has also been identified as a potential transit country for illegal ivory being laundered into other regional markets.

IFAW's 2016 report, Under the Hammer, investigated the sale of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn through Australian auction houses and demonstrated not only a supply of ivory items, but also a local demand for such products. Items that were sold during the investigative period included elephant ivory carvings, statues, jewellery and even whole tusks is thriving and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Of great concern was that only eight percent of the items listed for sale were accompanied by appropriate levels of Provenance documentation to prove the age, authenticity and legality of the listed item.
 
While African elephant range states continue to call for the international community to help them shut all avenues that encourage the illegal poaching of elephants, Australia is now lagging behind taking similar action. 

On 28 March 2018, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement initiated an inquiry into the trade in elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn, the time for Australia to step up and close down the domestic trade of ivory is now. 

Australia has a wonderful opportunity to join a global movement and play its part in the protection of iconic African elephants for future generations. I'm asking you to please declare your support for a domestic ban and calling on the Australian Government work with your state and territory counterparts and take action to implement a domestic ban on the sale of ivory items and rhino horn.

[Your comments]

Sincerely,
[Your name]
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