David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Let me make this very clear: the coalition will be opposing this bill. Let me also make this clear: a future coalition government will reinstate this industry. I want to make it very clear to every Western Australian that this coalition, when we are elected, will have the back. We will have faith and confidence in them and the reforms that they've put in place in leading the world in animal welfare standards. We won't cut and run. We won't leave the rest of the world to take up a market that doesn't live up to our animal welfare standards. That's not the Australian way. I make it very clear today that a future coalition government will reinstate the live export of sheep by sea to the Middle East.

I move:

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

"the House declines to give the bill a second reading and

(1) criticises the Government for imposing its reckless and ideological decision to shut down Australia's live sheep export industry by sea;

(2) recognises that:

a) Australia's live sheep export industry employs more than 3,000 people in Western Australia, including shearers, truck drivers, fodder suppliers, livestock agents, farmers and producers;

b) these workers now face the prospect of losing their job, and families that are struggling under financial stress may now face a difficult decision to leave their rural towns and communities;

c) this industry has delivered comprehensive reforms which have secured exemplary animal welfare outcomes; and

d) Australia has the highest standards of animal welfare in the world;

(3) further criticises the Government for the mismanagement and lack of consultation on this policy to end live sheep exports with farmers, sheep producers, and impacted communities;

(4) acknowledges that this policy is widely and strongly opposed across the agriculture sector;

(5) expresses concern that if the live sheep export industry is banned, alternatives will be sourced from countries that do not share Australia's animal welfare standards, resulting in perverse international animal welfare outcomes; and

(6) calls on the Government to immediately reverse its policy to shut down this industry".

We have been very clear on this and we're being very upfront. I was the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources in 2018, when the Awassi incident came to light. We didn't have a knee-jerk reaction. We didn't shut the industry down overnight. We worked with the industry and we reformed it.

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