Kristy McBain (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) Share this | Hansard source

I think that says a lot about the member for Page but not about the Deputy Speaker.

On this side of the House, since we came to government, we've taken seriously our relationships with other countries. We've made sure that we've worked with China so that our wine exporters, in the last year, have exported more wine to China than in the previous two years because those opposite decided loudspeaker diplomacy was better than actually working with the country. We've seen a number of tariffs come off our agricultural products because we take seriously that farmers need to export out their produce.

Over the last two elections we have committed to phasing out live sheep exports by sea. This move hasn't come as a surprise to anyone. In fact, what we've done is put in place a long timeframe so that we can help the industry to transition. It wasn't done lightly and it wasn't done without consultation. Yes, we know there is going to be an impact in WA. But we also know we can do more if we actually process more here. The Australasian Meat Industry Employees Union said the government's policy would create between 500 and 800 extra direct jobs in meat processing, with more indirect jobs that will flow from that. It means more jobs for WA and paves the way for WA farmers to supply Australia's nearly $8 billion sheepmeat industry with more.

This piece of legislation provides some certainty for farmers. It provides a timeline of transition. Let's be clear: there is going to be a transition. There is a total of $107 million to be provided over five years to help the industry transition. That is $64.6 million to assist those sheep producers in the supply chain to transition, allowing farmers to capitalise on existing and emerging opportunities so they are well positioned when the trade ends; $27 million to enhance demand within Australia and internationally for sheepmeat products, to maintain and develop market opportunities; $2.6 million to continue to improve sheep welfare standards so that they are practical and meet community expectations, including in engagement with the World Organisation for Animal Health; and a $1.7 million package to appoint a transition advocate to facilitate two-way communication between the industry and government, to pave the way for that.

Unfortunately, we have seen live sheep exports decline over time; that is just a fact. Over the last 20 years we've seen live sheep exports decline from 6.5 million head to 652,000 head right now. In a decade of decline, what did those opposite do? Nothing. Crickets. They did nothing to improve regulation, nothing to help support the industry and nothing to grow the industry anywhere else. In 2023 Australia exported $4.4 billion in chilled and frozen sheepmeat—almost 60 times the value of live sheep exports by sea. And we want to increase that. There were approximately 70,000 tonnes of chilled meat air-freighted from Australia to international trading partners between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023.

We heard from the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, the member for Farrer, when she introduced a private member's bill in 2018 seeking to ban the trade:

The live sheep trade is in terminal decline.

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Unfortunately this is an industry with an operating model built on animal suffering.

We know things need to change. We're putting in place a substantial timeframe to do that. We want to capitalise on those onshore opportunities in sheepmeat processing. It follows the recommendations of the independent panel who conducted exclusive consultation with stakeholders.

It takes a Labor government to act and do more in this space. It is incredibly frustrating to stand here and listen to the member for Page talk about how there is a bunch of inner-city Labor MPs driving this. I can tell you: I am not from the inner city, and I represent a lot of agricultural industry in my electorate—an electorate that has seen an increase because of what this government has done in its work with China, making sure that our wine producers can export more in the end and making sure we're taking tariffs off wheat and barley. There is still more work to do with our lobsters as well.

We are a government that takes thing seriously. It was all crickets when those opposite were in government. I didn't hear a single word, not a single word, when there were transmission lines going on agricultural properties in my electorate. When you were in government, there wasn't anything that you said, not a single thing that you did to make it easier for farmers in that consultation process. Yet in opposition, it's all: 'Hold on! You're doing something that's making a difference.' No, these things didn't start when we came to government two years ago; they started years before. You could have done something about it when you were in government, but those opposite did nothing to help communities dealing with renewable energy projects that came into their electorates.

It took a Labor government to say consultation by renewable energy companies has not been good when it comes to regional communities. It took a Labor government to put in dollars—$20 million in the last budget—to say: 'You need to do better, and you should do better, by consulting properly with communities. It's not a tick-a-box exercise.' Over and over again it was crickets when those opposite were in government and yet, when they're on the opposition benches, it's loud, it's ferocious, it's 'Oh, we've got to stand up for the regions.' When those opposite are in government, they're here for each other, they're here to stab each other in the back and take each other's positions, they're here for power's sake. They're not here to make a difference for the community. What we see, time and time again, is all of these issues are left until a Labor government comes in. There is a very, very big chasm between what you say you're going to do in government to what you actually do.

I actually support the National Farmers Federation in their bold ambition for a $100 billion industry by 2030. I absolutely support that. I think that's a great aim and, as a large country with a big agriculture industry, we should absolutely be aiming for $100 billion by 2030, and more, in a whole range of sectors across agriculture, on land or in the water. We have all of the expertise, all of the knowledge right here in this country. But time and time again our farmers have been let down when you have been in government. Time and time again.

It is not good enough now to sit on the opposition benches and say, 'Look, there is a declining industry, but we were going to do nothing about it.' What we want to do is increase local sheepmeat producing, we want to open new markets, we want to make sure farmers are taken care of, which is why there is a long transition period, out to 2028. We need to provide certainty to people, and that's exactly what we're doing with this bill, with this government, because on this side of the House we believe in providing certainty for people. People knew what they were voting for in the last two elections. That's exactly what we've legislated, and we've made sure that there is a long transition period to help sheep farmers.

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