Very soon Australians will be heading to the polls to determine who’ll be governing our country for the next three years and importantly — who’ll be making the big decisions on behalf of animals. There are 150 pins on the map below — one for each MP currently sitting in the House of Representatives. The colour varies (see legend) depending on their position on one or both of the two big issues facing animals this election:

1. Live Animal Export, and
2. The Independent Office of Animal Welfare.

This information has been reported to us by their constituents who have been lobbying hard on these important issues. To see how the parties rate on these issues overall tick the relevant box in the top right hand corner of this page. To find out what your MP thinks and to add your voice to calls for animal-friendly policies this election you can search by your electorate and follow the prompts to contact your MP.

By completing the ‘report card’ for your own MP, you are helping animals in two ways: by showing other caring voters where your MP stands on animal welfare, and most importantly, by showing your MP that as a voter, animals matter to you.

This election we go to the polls with two key policies on the table that if supported will help animals — ending the inherently cruel live export trade and the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.

1. Ending live animal export

20 investigations over the past 10 years have revealed the widespread and routine abuse of Australian animals exported overseas for slaughter. The public outcry that ensued following the exposure of the brutal treatment of Australian cattle in Indonesia in 2011 led to unprecedented reform of the industry and new rules to require basic standards to be met in importing countries. But the continued exposure of cruelty since then has shown that animals exported to countries where there are no laws to protect them from cruelty will always be at risk. In recognition of the cruelty inherent to the live trade and the viable economic alternatives that exist for producers, more and more MPs are advocating for an end to live export.

2. The Independent Office of Animal Welfare

In Australia our laws have been twisted in order to legalise cruel practices that make animal agriculture more profitable. This is a direct consequence of 'animal welfare' falling under the responsibility of the Department of Agriculture —  whose primary stakeholders are the very industries that profit from the use of animals. It’s an untenable conflict of interest that has resulted in animals raised for food being treated in ways that the broader community finds completely unacceptable. That's why an office for animal welfare — independent of agriculture — is so desperately needed.

The most valuable thing you can do in the coming weeks to help get animals on the political map is to call or email your MP; ask them where they stand on both of these issues; then report back to us to add your voice to the tens of thousands of Australians speaking up for animals this election. Simply type in the name of your electorate on the right and then click 'Add your report' and follow the prompts. You could win a free gift just for participating!

Multiply your impact by reporting your results on Twitter or Facebook too!

Go the extra mile for animals

There are 40 Senate seats up for grabs in the upcoming election. It’s also important to ask individual Senators about their views on these important issues facing animals. Find your state senators here.

This feature only covers the positions of sitting MPs but there are hundreds of candidates who will be battling it out for one of the 150 seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives this election. Click here to find the contact details of candidates in your electorate.

Know where the parties stand

Click here to learn about political parties' policies for animals.

To see how the major parties rate on key animal welfare issues, toggle the checkboxes in the top right hand corner of this page.

Labor, Coalition, Greens and Independents aren't the only parties appealing for your vote this election. Click here to see how other parties rate on animal welfare.

This is where the main players stand as we know it so far:

• The Coalition: Opposes ending live export. Committed to keeping live export rules in place but also to reducing 'red tape' for exporters. According to spokesperson on Agriculture John Cobb, the Coalition is opposed to an Independent Office of Animal Welfare. The Coalition has also vowed to apologise to Indonesia for the 2011 suspension of cattle exports.
• The Australian Labor Party: Opposes ending live export. Committed to continuing live export regulation and establishing an Inspector-General of Animal Welfare & Live Animal Exports to add an additional layer of oversight. Party policy supports an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.
• The Australian Greens: Supports an end to live export and the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.
• Independent Member for Denison Andrew Wilkie also supports an end to live export and the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.
• The Animal Justice Party also supports an end to live export and the establishment of an Independent Office of Animal Welfare.

If you're interested to know how your values stack up to other party policies, click here to visit the ABC's interactive Vote Compass.