Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the travesty that is Meat Free Week, a conspiracy by the Greens, a campaign that is trying to stop Australians from eating meat. They want us to become vegetarians and vegans. They will stoop to anything to stop Australians eating meat. Indeed, we saw Animals Australia, during their campaign to stop live exports to Indonesia, giving cattle human names and human characteristics, such as: 'This is Barry. Barry is a Santa Gertrudis steer. Barry was happily munching grass on his farm in the Barkly Tableland, and these evil men came in the middle of the night and took him off to Indonesia and cut his throat.' It is this sort of nonsense that we are going through from the Greens.

But, I have to tell you, you need meat. Meat develops proper cognitive functions. It increases your lifespan. It develops strong muscles and ensures a healthy balance of hormones within the human body. Vitamin B12, which can only be obtained from meat, is crucial to a healthy nervous system. So I am in support of the campaign by my colleague the member for Dawson, George Christensen, not for Meat Free Week but for Free Meat Week. I would encourage everyone that works and resides in this place to join the member for Dawson tomorrow at lunchtime for a free Aussie barbecue and support our meat industry.