Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to acknowledge all the previous speakers. The government are committed to protecting animal welfare, and that is exactly why we are opposing this motion. At the May election, the Australian people endorsed Labor's policy to phase out the trade of live sheep by sea. In fact, in Tuesday night's budget we announced funding for the Inspector-General of Animal Welfare. We've committed to working with industry on an animal welfare strategy. We've committed to the phase-out of live sheep by sea. Labor are committed to ensuring that live animal exports are well regulated while we work with industry to transition away from the trade. Now, we were surprised to learn that the member for Clark and the Greens were seeking to move this disallowance motion today. But, if this motion were to pass, it would produce worse outcomes for animal welfare.

In April this year, amendments to the northern summer prohibition rules were made to improve the management of heat-stress risks for sheep exported in late May. The rules introduced a 10-day conditional prohibition period, preventing export to some Persian Gulf destinations, off the back of new data that showed an increased risk of heat stress during this period. This strengthens animal welfare. The rules further impose additional conditions targeted at heat-stress risk reduction that must be met during the designated period. This also strengthens animal welfare.

To disallow this instrument would force the regulators to find new, likely weaker measures to protect animal welfare. Voting for this disallowance is a bad outcome for both animal welfare and the exporters. The government's commitment to phase out the trade of live sheep by sea reflects community sentiment. Balancing community expectation and Australian industry remains a key priority for the government. That is why we will continue to support regulators to protect animal welfare as we work with industry to phase out the trade of live sheep at sea.

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