A group of animal rights activists will protest Hunter Medical Research Institute's use of animals in research at the institute's open day on Friday. A coalition of animal rights groups, including the Hunter branch of the Animal Justice Party, have organised the "vigil" event.
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Darren Brollo, the Animal Justice Party's Newcastle candidate in the 2019 federal election and party leader in the Hunter region, said he and other attendees were seeking greater transparency about the use of animals in HMRI's research, a topic which he said the organisation had "shrouded in secrecy".
"I think the fact we have moved forward with technology both without and within a cellular level means experimenting on animals should now be a thing of the past," he said. "Change only occurs through open dialogue so things can move on."
HMRI's annual open day saw thousands of people through its doors in 2018. This year's event will include hands on activities and educational seminars by its researchers.
Mr Brollo said the vigil would take place outside the entrance to John Hunter Hospital and would not prevent people's access to the event. He said he would be attending some talks himself.
"If there's an opportunity to ask questions, I will be," he said.
Friday's vigil has been organised by the Newcastle iterations of the national organisations the Animal Justice Party, Save Animals in Laboratories and Animal Liberation.
It follows monthly protests the groups have held outside the University of Newcastle's Callaghan Campus.
Mr Brollo said it was important to raise awareness about animal use in experiments as HMRI was a registered charity that also received taxpayer funding.
He questioned the efficacy of using animals to find treatments for human ailments.
"We're talking about a scientific institution that gets millions of dollars in grants, I think the community assumes the money is being well spent," he said.
The Hunter Medical Research Institute did not respond to the Newcastle Herald's questions, about how many animals are being used in research and in what circumstances, by the publication's deadline.
In 2011, the Herald reported that the use of live animals in research in the Hunter had boomed by 130 per cent over the five year period prior to 2010, with 62,000 animals used that year.
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