Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I seek leave to make a personal explanation.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the Age yesterday and in the Warrnambool Standard today, the member for Dawson is reported to have criticised me for blaming Australian farmers for cruelty to livestock but not saying anything on the question of religion. This is incorrect on both counts. A reading of my speeches on the matter of live exports will reveal that while I have been very critical of the live export industry representative bodies—MLA and LiveCorp—I have made no criticisms of Australian farmers whatsoever. On the matter of religion I have expressly noted that preslaughter stunning is fully accepted as halal by religious authorities in Indonesia and that cruelty to animals is in fact contrary to Islamic law.

Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I wish to make a personal explanation.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Does the honourable member claim to have been misrepresented?

Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, Mr Speaker.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please proceed.

Janelle Saffin (Page, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the Age newspaper yesterday and in the Warrnambool Standard today, the member for Dawson is reported, in relation to live exports, to have criticised me, saying that I blamed Australian farmers but did not say anything on the question of religion. This is totally incorrect on both matters. I have spoken in parliament and elsewhere on many occasions on the live export of cattle and a reading of my speeches shows that I have never, ever criticised farmers. I have criticised the MLA and I have, on the other hand, said that religion does not permit cruelty to animals in terms of slaughter practices, notably halal.