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

My community cares deeply about the welfare of our animals. From the kids I meet here in Parliament House and the parents I see outside the school gates to the couples, grandmas and grandpas that I talk to on Bondi Beach, they all want to see a kind and caring society which demonstrates decency in its treatment of animals and the natural environment. Historically, we have fallen short of this endeavour, and that is why we must urgently modernise our animal welfare laws.

Chief among Wentworth's concerns is the systemic cruelty in the live animal export trade, particularly in the export of sheep to the Middle East. Research by the Alliance for Animals highlights the appalling conditions that sheep are subject to on those voyages, including 24-hour lighting, 90 decibels of noise, faeces for bedding and inadequate dietary provisions. Given these appalling conditions, it was disappointing that the government last year partially rolled back the ban on exporting sheep to the Middle East during the hottest months of the year, ignoring advice on animal welfare impacts. The live sheep export trade needs to be phased out so that we can alleviate the unnecessary suffering of millions of animals and restore Australia's damaged animal welfare reputation.

The need to restore this reputation brings me to the bill before the House, the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports Amendment (Animal Welfare) Bill 2023. Whilst I'm pleased to see the progress on the establishment of the inspector-general of animal welfare, the model outlined in the bill falls short of the community's expectations and the government's manifesto commitments. The proposed role and objectives of the new Inspector-General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports add little that is new to the role and objectives of the current Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports. It's certainly not the new statutory body that many had hoped for. Reviewing and reporting on the department's approval of regulated entities, detecting noncompliance, conducting investigations, interacting with state and territory enforcement agencies and reporting on animal welfare breaches are all topics where the current inspector-general has power to review. The primary difference made by this bill appears to be a change in the name.

I therefore strongly encourage the government to expand the functions of the new inspector-general so that it has a broader scope of responsibility over all relevant fields of Commonwealth jurisdiction, including the welfare of animals at export abattoirs and the international trade in wildlife. This would bring into scope activities like kangaroo shooting and crocodile farming. We need the IGAW to play a policy development and leadership roles so that all animals are treated humanely and with dignity. We also need the government to legislate a ban on live sheep exports within the next six months and to fully implement the ban within three years.

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