Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday was a very dark day in the history of this time because last night the Labor Party, the Greens political party, Senator Pocock and Senator Tyrrell teamed up to destroy the livelihoods of at least 3,000 Western Australians and destroy an agricultural industry. Those opposite, at the last election, promised to stand up for Western Australia, yet last night they sold out our state because of this government's desire, purely this government's desire, to curry favour with inner city voters. Not only was this decision reckless, as the MPI suggests; it was shameful. The live sheep trade in WA predates Federation. It is a truly Western Australian industry that has done absolutely everything that has been asked of it to improve animal welfare standards and more. In fact, our live export industry leads the world in terms of animal welfare standards, a fact even the minister of agriculture has acknowledged.

I'd like to share a quote from a March 2023 letter Minister Watt received from the then Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry:

The requirement for live sheep cannot be substituted with chilled or frozen meat for our population, and it is not our preference to switch our live sheep source. Australia's forced exit from the trade will mean we lose out to nations with little to no standards.

So I say to those opposite: don't dare try and pretend that the banning of live sheep exports is anything to do with animal welfare standards. Our WA farmers just want to keep doing their jobs and feed the world. It is a noble occupation. I have been absolutely disgusted at the insults that have been levelled at our WA farmers, our WA truckies, our WA rousies and more by extremist animal rights activists and from those who sit on the opposite side.

We often talk about the difficulty of getting people to work yet here we are: we have some 3,000 Australians who are being forced out of their industry and probably out of our towns. This will impact the local shops, the local sporting groups and, of course, our local schools. While the legislation has passed, let me tell you, the fight is far from over. I want to acknowledge my friend and colleague the member for O'Connor, who is here with me as well. We are up for this fight.

Regional Western Australia, let me tell you, doesn't give up that easily, so be warned. The grassroots Keep the Sheep campaign is well and truly up and running in Western Australia, and a few weeks ago I was so pleased to join in that rally which went through Perth CBD. I was so touched by the support that was provided to our farmers, our regional Western Australians, by the people of metropolitan Perth. I say to them: 'You need to keep supporting your farmers, because they need your support now more than ever.'

Keep the Sheep have said if they can't change policy, which sadly they were unable to do, then they would change the government. Well, they are now planning to mobilise and target the Western Australian Labor members who failed to stand up for Western Australia. In just a few short weeks 63,000 Australians have signed the Keep the Sheep petition. Unfortunately, at least one Labor member threw those words back in their faces. 'We are keeping the sheep,' the member for Hasluck posted on her social media last week. 'This means more than 3,000 new jobs for the regions,' she said, with a smile on her face. Honestly, the arrogance, the ignorance and the disrespect of those opposite is beyond belief. Does the member for Hasluck and the rest of those on the other side of the House honestly believe that they know what is better for farmers, for regional communities than the farmers and the communities themselves?

So, look, we know it has been a tough week, but what I want to do is recommit to my Durack community that my coalition colleagues and I are committed more than ever to reinstating the trade, and we will always have your back. But you have to ask yourself: if it is sheep today, what is next? Cattle tomorrow? People in my electorate are good farmers, pastoralists. They feed us, they employ us and they support our communities. We are eternally grateful for them and we are fighting for them every day.

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