Dick Adams (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to defend a sporting event that is part of our cultural heritage. In recent times there has been some sort of furore around the holding of rodeos. This is in the wake of a couple of incidents involving a bull and a horse, which became injured during events in Tasmania and had to be put down. In one instance, the organisers attempted to move the injured animal away from the crowd in order to put it down. This led to cries of cruelty. In the other instance, the animal was surrounded by screens and the crowd was distracted while euthanasia took place on the spot.

Now we have the RSPCA and Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania calling for rodeos to be banned. Rodeo organisers have been running rodeos, which are a part of the Tasmanian summer season, for at least 60 years. They are concerned that a popular event for country people—and, of course, some city people—will be stopped because of yet another city perception. As the Hobart Mercury editorial put it so poetically:

Sons have followed fathers into the corral to take the bruises and eat the dust in their challenge of man and beast.

You can see the Roman gladiators there, though this fight is not to the death but for a mere eight seconds or so of pure strength and skill. The typical competitor will have come from a rural background and be familiar with many techniques of animal control, which are necessary on the farm and are refined into rodeo entertainment, including cow roping and sheep tying. At the Steppes Rodeo, they have a ‘polly sheep-tying competition’ in which I have taken part, and with me the sheep mostly gets the upper hand.

I do not believe that rodeos are necessarily cruel to animals; in fact, many of the animals are not averse to performing. However, I do believe that some proper guidelines should be laid down to ensure that animals injured in rodeos—and, indeed, in any other sport—are properly cared for and euthanised, if necessary, in a humane manner. This does happen now, but it is mainly self-regulating. For the odd incident that might not be as carefully looked after as it should be I have no problem in applying legislation. I believe there are appropriate guidelines for the racing industry, but I do not know of any applying specifically to rodeos. I support the state minister in bringing in some regulations to deal with this matter, and I continue to support the sport of rodeo throughout the Lyons electorate and Tasmania during the summer festival season.