Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The second point I would make in relation to this bill is the foolhardy provision to make all horses subject to an equal levy. This is despite the potential risk of exotic disease introduction and spreading being much higher with the number of movements, both internationally and domestically, that are associated with the racing industries. How is this fair? The Rudd government continues to favour flat taxes, with little or no regard for small business—in this case, the horse industry. Labor have implemented boring, uniform policies. They tend to ignore the great diversity that our nation has to offer and usually come up with the wrong answer.

My final point is that the coverage of this legislation will be far from comprehensive. It is estimated that only a small proportion of the total number of horses would be subject to levy collection and, furthermore, that approximately 80 per cent of any liability to be recovered through the levy would fall upon pleasure and performance horse owners, who derive no income from their horses and, therefore, would receive little or no compensation through the EADRA as a result of a disease event. This is not good for the racing industry or for the pleasure and performance horse owners, who rely upon each other in a symbiotic relationship in ensuring the overall health of the horse industry.

In conclusion, the horse industry is very important to the people of my electorate of Swan. The equine influenza outbreak had a significant impact on the people of Western Australia, and the coalition government’s response was considered and admirable. The Labor Party’s proposed response is non-consultative, unresponsive to diversity and unfair and it threatens the health of the horse industry as a whole. Finally, we must not forget that our star Western Australian Olympic equestrians—Clayton and Lucinda Fredericks; and Sonja Johnson, from Albany—would not have been able to compete if equine influenza had been in Western Australia. Therefore, on behalf of my constituents of Swan, I urge the government to rethink its legislation and to act in a sensible and consultative manner when dealing with this important issue. I urge it to get the people who can afford to pay this levy, the state governments, to pay it and let them protect their revenue sources.

See this speech in context