Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to give a big shout out to Keep the Sheep, a WA grassroots movement of farmers, truckers, shearers, stockies and feed producers all dependent on the live sheep export industry for their livelihoods. They've been pounding the corridors of parliament trying to convince crossbench senators of the need for a more robust Senate inquiry process and calling for a more thorough examination of the volumes of evidence presented to the House Standing Committee on Agriculture during its hasty inquiry.

A total of 13,000 submissions were received by the committee, but only 668 were considered and published. Unpublished submissions included deeply personal stories on how this decision would affect families, businesses and the wider rural community. This is why we need a proper Senate inquiry, one that was promised by Minister Watt—yet another of Labor's broken promises.

Last night the Senate narrowly voted to end live sheep exports by sea. This government has prioritised animal activists who have blatantly misled the Australian public, some of whom have allegedly paid cash for cruelty on these vessels. This government has ignored the honest, hardworking rural voters whose livelihoods will be forever affected.

But the fight has only just begun. Prime Minister, you have been given notice that the people of the bush have been pushed too far. They are mustering their 'farmy army' to take the battle to the burbs and win back seats one Labor electorate at a time, beginning this weekend in the electorate of Hasluck and also the proposed electorate of Bulwinkle. All the best, and good luck.

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