The Animal Justice Party has welcomed the creation of its regional South Coast group.
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Mark Pearson, the first member of the party to be elected to an Australian parliament, said the group's first meeting will be held online on June 13.
"Times have changed, and animal welfare is better understood by people, and knowledge on how animals see the world is better understood," the member of the NSW Legislative Council and veteran animal rights activist said.
"We now understand that people who hurt animals can go on to then hurt humans."
He said the expansion of the party to the South Coast has been brought on by locals, "particularly in light of the recent bushfires and high-profile logging at Manyana".
"Quite a few people are more active there, and a growing number of people are interested in animal justice," he said.
Mr Pearson said while the branch will likely be based around the Batemans Bay area, during COVID-19 restrictions meetings will be all online.
He claimed the party is one of the fastest growing political movements in Australia, and said three quarters of Shooters and Fishers voters placed the Animal Justice second on the ballot during the last state election.
"[In politics] you're engaging with the government, and the ministers. We go in there to convince them to come along with us," he said.
"People do realise we do need someone in there [politics] to represent animals.
"It is great to be part of a movement based on compassion."
He said, while the timing of the branch creation and the Eden-Monaro by-election was purely a coincidence, it was likely the party's previous federal election candidate Frankie Seymour would run in the July 4 by-election.
The online meeting will be held from 3pm via Zoom video conferencing.