Allegra Spender (Wentworth, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the disallowance motion put forward by the member for Clark. The decision by the department of agriculture, water and the environment to partially roll back the ban on exporting sheep to the Middle East during the hottest months of the year ignores scientific evidence, ignores animal welfare and has deeply disappointed my community in Wentworth. The changes introduced by the department run contrary to the findings of the heat-stress review commissioned by the government, which identified heat-stress risk on all shipments to the Middle East that occur between May and October. Partial reversal of the June export ban will push sheep to their biological limits and could result in many deaths. The change should be reversed and the full June to September export ban reinstated.

More generally, my community in Wentworth believes strongly that we need to modernise our animal welfare laws and end live exports of sheep as soon as feasible. Research by the Alliance for Animals highlights the appalling conditions that animals are subject to on these voyages, including 24-hour lighting, 90 decibels of noise, faeces acting as bedding and inadequate dietary provisions. This is a fundamentally inhumane trade. It needs to be phased out so that we can alleviate the unnecessary suffering of millions of animals and restore our damaged animal welfare reputation.

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