Freedom of Species

In today’s show, Betty and Trev discuss the impact of persistent meat propaganda on the general perception of veganism and plant-based nutrition. Meat propaganda refers to marketing and media efforts that promote consumption of animal products while downplaying their environmental and health impacts. This can include misleading information that aims to protect the interests of meat, livestock and...

Elise and Savanna discuss their dream vegan menus as we make the case for vegan eating as celebration rather than deprivation. Savanna is now a part of the Freedom of Species team, so keep your eye out for her shows in 2026!  Links: This episode is based on the format of the foodie podcast Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, but with a vegan twist. For those wanting to check out that show,...

Test your knowledge of animal liberation film by seeing if you can think of the answers quicker than the listeners who texted in during the live show. There are questions about recent movies, including some related to the upcoming Animal Liberation Film Festival, but also questions on older movies going back as far as 1995!  The Animal Liberation Film Festival is being held from December 5-6 in Me...

Savanna, Gonzalo and Nick discuss the upcoming Animal Liberation Film Festival. This event is being held from December 5-6 in Melbourne, at Cinema Nova. For more information on the festival, go to: https://alff.org.au/ Also see the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/25038308422432519  Additional links: We briefly discuss this article as a follow-up to an issue we raised on t...

 In the early 1800s, colonial Sydney transformed from a drunken shanty town ruled by military oligarchs to a developed city ruled by pastoral capitalists. Australia’s first wool baron, John MacArthur, continued to grow his wealth while maintaining a powerful position in the colony, despite his corruption and role in overthrowing Governor William Bligh in the 1808 Rum Rebellion.  Australian wool de...

Katie and Nick discuss the TV show Poker Face and its representations of vegans and animal rights.  Links: “I’m a Murderer”: Poker Face’s Vegan Feeling by Brigitte N. McCray: https://www.popmatters.com/poker-face-rian-johnson-veganism Poker Face Season 2 Episode 6’s Surprising New Victim Confirms The Season’s Secret Theme by Nick Bythrow: https://screenrant.com/poker-face-season-2-episode-6-animal...

 Meg and Ash have a casual discussion about the future of veganism. How veganism is intrisically linked to avocating for animal rights, how attitudes toward vegans and a vegan lifestyle are changing and the economic, ethical and societal predictions for 2050 and beyond. Audio:  How Veganism Can Change the World - The Economist https://youtu.be/hwoL6hWd4l0?si=I90qy3ICjh78fQYc Diet and identity: The...

    We discussed anarcho-punk and animal rights with our guest Pat, focusing on bands that influenced us and helped shape our political awareness. Pat is a friend to many at  3CR and formerly was a co-host of Roominations and Thursday Breakfast programs.  The punk subculture, particularly the anarcho-punk and straight edge movements, has maintained a strong association with animal rights activism...

River, Rain, Brook and Creek are four wild-born dingo puppies whose lives took a turn when their mother was shot by a farmer in their first few weeks of life. The puppies were destined to be drowned until a neighbour intervened and organised for the puppies to be sent to a dingo rescue. In today’s show, Betty Melon shares her experience staying with dingo carers Alix Livingstone and Zeph Thomson a...

Lottie, Hayden and Nick explore what it would look like to have an ecologically sustainable world and how veganism fits in with that. The discussion draws on ideas from the books Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future from Extinction, Climate Change and Pandemics by Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettesse, and Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable...

 The Australian wool industry carried the nation’s economy for much of the 19th and 20th century and played a significant role in growing the wealth of the British Empire, while displacing Indigenous populations and devastating ecosystems. In today’s show, part of the wool series, Betty Melon takes Meg and the listeners through the events of the 1700s leading up to the creation of the Australian w...

  Our guest on today's show is Meg Edge. We chat about Meg's career as a vegan professional athlete in MMA (mixed martial arts), and discuss straight edge and the hardcore scene.     Bio:    Meg is a self-described jack of all trades, master of none. Over the past decade or so, she has worked for and volunteered with various animal rights and conservation organisations, as well as having been a pr...

  On the show today, our guest is Nathan Poirier who returned to continue our discussion about veganarchism. We talked about some of the ideas raised in Nathan's solo book and the edited books, and also highlighted some ideas that are often not examined. Our first conversation about veganarchism aired in a previous show which is available here: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/vegan...

Nick speaks with Sheena Chhabra, a campaigner with the Plant Based Treaty. We discuss the Treaty, the importance of structural change and the place of individual veganism in the movement.   Links: You can find out more about the Plant Based Treaty and endorse it on their website: https://plantbasedtreaty.org/ To send an email to your city councillors asking them to endorse the Treaty: https://plan...

    Our guest on today's show is Nathan Poirier and we discuss veganarchism.    Nathan Poirier is an independent scholar-activist who has edited or authored books that span topics like critical animal studies, veganarchism, non/human coexistence, and a forthcoming two-volume A6 set on black anarchism. Nathan is an ambassador for the Office of Empowerment (essentially the DEI organization) at Lansi...

Claire, Ruby and Nick discuss representations of animal rights in the media, focusing on the cartoon BoJack Horseman and the manga The Darwin Incident by Shun Umezawa. We cover the portrayal of anthropomorphised (human-like) animals in these examples, factory farmed versus "free-range" animal products and factions within the animal advocacy movement.  Links: Animal Horror: An investigation into an...

   Our guest on today's show is Ari, who returns for a follow up conversation on conflict in activist spaces and in community group settings.      Ari (they/them) is a community organiser, mediator and support worker who is passionate about exploring the transformative potential of generative conflict and accountability work. Working primarily in community organising settings, Ari believes that ho...

 On Sunday June 15, the Freedom of Species team had another fun-filled animal trivia show to raise donations for 3CR's Radiothon 2025! Can you guess the answers before listeners and the hosts? Have a listen and hear the animal noises and other trivia!  Please support 3CR Community Radio so we can keep operating as a genuinelyindependent and non-commercial broadcast service. Donations are the best...

   Our guest on today's show is Ari, and we're talking about conflict in activist spaces and in community group settings.      Ari (they/them) is a community organiser, mediator and support worker who is passionate about exploring the transformative potential of generative conflict and accountability work. Working primarily in community organising settings, Ari believes that how we relate to each...

In today’s show, Betty interviews Sonya Takau from Dingo Culture and Alix Livingstone from Defend the Wild all about the native Australian dingo. We learn about the character of the dingo, their role in Australian ecosystems and what makes them unique. We go on to discuss some of the significant threats facing the dingo and strategies for securing their future led by First Nations land custodians....

  This interview was recorded with Anas Arafat in Gaza and Laura Schleifer in the US on May 17, 2025. We are very grateful for their time and their work, and the unimaginable hardship that Anas is enduring in Gaza. We thank them for this interview. Our conversation starts with the formation of Plant the Land Team Gaza as a grassroot collaboration between local Gazan community activists and interna...

   Animal Free Science Advocacy spokesperson Robyn delves into the sad story of primate research in Australia, the individual lives, the ongoing work that AFSA do to collate and tell the story of primates who have been experimented on, and the advocacy and promotion of awareness of the plight of these indivduals.  You can find more information about Animal Free Science Advocacy on their website he...

  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.  H...

 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 reseac...

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.c...