Rowan Ramsey (Grey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) Australia's live sheep export industry employs more than 3,500 people in Western Australia and is worth $85 million in direct payments to producers with an assumed multiplier effect close to $300 million;

(b) Australia has developed world-leading animal welfare standards which are applied to animals exported by sea and the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System ensures animal welfare right through to point of slaughter in destination markets;

(c) the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Government have committed to phasing out live sheep exports from Australia, but have not released a timeframe for this;

(d) the independent panel appointed by the Minister to consult with stakeholders and provide advice on how and when the Government will phase out exports provided its report to the Minister on 25 October 2023;

(e) despite numerous requests, the Government and the Minister have refused to release the report to stakeholders, farmers or industry groups, claiming it is 'cabinet-in-confidence';

(f) the Coalition's Agriculture, Water and Environment Backbench Committee met with livestock farmers in South Australia and Western Australia from 5 to 8 March to hear firsthand the concerns of those in the region most likely to be affected;

(g) the committee heard from farmers, industry participants and community representatives who work hard to ensure the welfare of their animals throughout the export process is maintained at the high levels Australians expect; and

(h) attendees at eight meetings over four days indicated that confidence in the sheep industry was at its lowest point in decades and were fearful for the industry's future and the future of family farms and businesses and their wider rural communities;

(2) condemns the Government for its reckless and ideological decision to forcibly shut down Australia's live sheep export industry in order to try and hold seats in the inner cities where they are competing with the Australian Greens;

(3) recognises that any decisions made in respect to the trade should always be predicated on science and independent of the Government;

(4) calls on the Government to urgently explain what factual evidence or science its decision to ban the live sheep export industry is based on;

(5) demands the Government immediately release the report of the independent panel to allow proper discussion with stakeholders; and

(6) urges the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to urgently re-open the inquiry into the grooming of and payments made to Faizal Ullah by Animals Australia in the light of a second statutory declaration coming forward after the closure of its initial investigation.

From 5 to 8 March, the coalition's agriculture, water, drought and environment policy committee conducted eight forums, one in South Australia and seven in Western Australia, to enable sheep producers and industry participants, including transporters, stock agents, exporters and industry representative groups, to have their say on the government's plan to phase out the live sheep export trade. A total of 10 members of the coalition travelled to listen to industry participants and were shaken by the widespread pessimistic view they collectively held for the future.

The live export trade is a safety valve for Western Australian industry, which absorbs sheep numbers when turn-off numbers are in excess of existing processing capacity in the state. The live export trade falls away when stock is short and prices are higher, enabling processors to maintain profitable levels throughout the year. At other times, when supply is plentiful, and even with processing facilities operating at capacity, values fall to a point where the export trade is price competitive and it ramps up, placing a virtual floor price in the market.

Producers repeatedly made the point that the trade had made huge investments and turned itself inside out to meet new and ever more stringent export regulations. They were proud of the industry, and their role in it, as an outstanding success and example to others, with onboard mortality rates falling to the point where they were often better than on farms.

However, the phase-out decision has destroyed confidence in the sheep industry. Where there is an alternative to exit sheep and intensify cropping regimes, growers are doing so. As a result, local markets are overwhelmed and prices are at decadal lows, with 200 sheep not receiving a bid or an offer at the Katanning sales on the day the committee visited. Estimates of unmated sheep for the coming season range from 10 to 25 per cent of the state flock. This will in time deliver a secondary blow to the industry, likely leading to undersupply and putting severe financial pressure on the processing industry. The WA sheep flock is about 85 per cent merino, so any dramatic reduction in sheep numbers is likely to have an ongoing effect on the critical mass of the national wool clip.

It's also clear that the impacts of the looming ban are not restricted to WA, with more than 25,000 head a week coming over the border to South Australia. This in turn is depressing markets there. Michael Crosby from Nutrien in Perth said that all the stock cannot be processed in WA and there is a huge backlog of mutton and lamb to be killed in WA and/or shipped interstate. Caroline Robinson from Hyden, representing the North Eastern Wheatbelt Regional Organisation of Councils, said they've modelled the financial impacts of the ban and assessed it would conservatively impart a loss of $128 million on their seven shires alone over the next 20 years. The committee heard this modelling will be replicated by other shires, which carry even higher sheep numbers.

Robbie Bowey from Hyden asked why, when WA makes up 20 per cent of the nation's wool clip, we are letting wool get canned as a result of the live animal export ban. Concerns were raised about future decisions affecting long-haul stock transport with Peter Sutherland from Merredin stating: 'COVID showed us how quickly food can dry up and empty supermarkets. Everyone seems to have forgotten what it was like when the borders closed and we couldn't move food around the country.' Jan Cooper from the Livestock and Rural Transport Association of WA said: 'during the last 12-18 months members were feeling vulnerable to activists—very concerned long-distance transport would be targeted next.' She described that sheep for live export were transported around five times as compared to twice with abattoir slaughter, and they would lose 40 per cent of their business if live export ceased. Steve Meerwald, who formerly worked for Metro and Wellard, said: 'with a less than 0.2 per cent mortality rate, Australia leads the world in successfully transporting sheep long distance by ship—the government should support science-based solutions.'

I have a host of other quotes here, which is why I'm seeking to table this report as part of this speech. I have received a number of submissions from growers which I also seek to table. I'm seeking the government's support to table that. I'll end with one quote from Rick Twine, who said this was the first year ever he had not mated his ewes.

I seek leave to table that report along with the submissions that the committee received.

Leave not granted.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion moved by the member for Gray seconded?

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion is seconded, and I reserve my right to speak.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Everyone in Australia has a heartfelt interest in the social and economic wellbeing of farming communities, and I acknowledge the long-term commitment to that cause from the member for Grey and from other speakers in the debate, including the member for O'Connor. There is no question that Australia's high-quality and sustainable agricultural output is of vital importance to our nation; it has to be valued and it has to be supported. That's a core responsibility of government and of everyone in this place. But that responsibility is not exercised by ignoring reality or by denying the truth or by pretending that massive obvious change is not under way. And that massive change needs to be properly and responsibly managed.

If anyone wants an example of massive obvious change, it would be very hard to go past the fact that over the last 20 years the live sheep trade has declined by more than 90 per cent. If that's not an example of deep and categorical—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Fremantle has the call and will be heard in silence.

Josh Wilson (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If that's not an example of deep and categorical decline, I'll go he.

Fortunately, across the same period, the trade in chilled and frozen lamb and sheep meat has grown by 369 per cent. If you want to talk about lamb alone, Australian chilled and frozen meat exports have increased by 532 per cent. In 2022-23 chilled and frozen sheep meat exports earned $4.5 billion compared to $85 million for live sheep exports in the same period. We know that a chaotic, unstable and inhumane trade has declined by more than 90 per cent and it has been replaced by a stable, humane, higher-value and higher-jobs form of sheep meat exports that is already worth 58 times more than the trade it has virtually replaced. One is going like this and the other is going like that. That is change, and it's government's responsibility to manage sensible change and not to misrepresent the truth to rural and regional communities.

While that massive decline of more than 90 per cent has occurred, the sheep flock in Western Australia has remained exactly the same. The wool output has remained exactly the same. There has been no evidence of broader economic impacts or job losses. So all those claims about how a 90 per cent decline is going to cause a loss in the wool clip or a loss in the sheep flock in WA are in denial of the reality. Indeed, in 2021—which is probably the lowest year ever for the live sheep trade—WA wheat-sheep farms were found to be the most profitable of their kind in their world. That report by Meat & Livestock Australia found that our farmers were 'the most efficient, diversified and low-cost producers of sheep meet in the world', and 'sheep farmers in Australia have a high level of confidence in the medium- to long-term profitability of the industry'. That is a good thing; that is excellent. We should celebrate that. It's a reality that that is the case with a more than 90 per cent decline in the live sheep trade. That is a reality of a transition to a higher value, higher jobs sheep meat export trade. Hallelujah!

Unfortunately, the marginal and unnecessary live sheep trade is continuing to produce animal welfare crises, and we've just seen that with MV Bahijah, and, contrary to what industry apologists say, the ESCAS has not been effective, sadly, in eliminating instances of terrible animal cruelty, simply because it's impossible to eliminate cruelty altogether from a trade where that is an inherent risk and a recurrent reality. In fact, only last year we again saw shocking footage on the ABC of Australian sheep. They had their legs bound together and were being dragged alive across concrete. They were being put in the back of cars and taken away for agonising backyard slaughter.

I agree with the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, the member for Farrer, who made her views quite clear in saying that the live sheep trade involved 'an operating model built on the suffering of animals'. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition brought her own private member's bill to end the trade because in her view 'this trade in sheep is a shame and a stain on our international reputation'. Never forget that the previous government, the coalition government, contrary to what the member for Grey said about looking to improve standards and looking to increase protections, took steps to weaken the regulation of this industry, cheered on by some of the industry players, sadly, some of the farmer representative groups, which then paved the way for further animal welfare atrocities, like the Awassi Express.

We know there has been serious and proper engagement with the farming community in WA as part of the consultation process that has been carried out under this government and under Minister Watt. Many have put forward constructive ideas and proposals to assist with the transition by looking at domestic processing capacity, new and expanded market opportunities and assistance with planning investment. That's the sensible and reasonable and humane way forward—out of the live sheep export trade.

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Grey, who, in his capacity as the chairman of the coalition's agricultural policy committee, brought this committee to Western Australia on the week of 5 to 8 March, accompanied by many regional members from across Australia, including the member for Barker, who is here at the table today. The reason that the chair felt it was necessary to bring the committee to Western Australia was that almost 12 months ago to the day this government unleashed what is known as the phase-out of live sheep exports independent panel on Western Australia agriculture. This panel was headed by Mr Philip Glyde, a very well-respected former public servant, who was given a remit to come to Western Australia and, effectively, tell farmers how to cut their own throats. I attended two of those meetings, in Katanning and Albany. Mr Glyde stood up and said: 'We're not here to talk about how the industry might continue. I'm here to talk to you about how we're going to close you down.' That wasn't received all that well, funnily enough. The spirit with which the Western Australian farming community pushed back against the premise gave me great heart.

Here we are 12 months down the track. Let's look at what has happened in that 12-month period. Once the phase-out panel had done its rounds of Western Australia, confidence in the sheep sector absolutely collapsed. The member for Fremantle talked about the profitability of the Western Australian sheep industry in 2021. I'll tell you what it was in 2023, Josh, and it's going to be even worse in 2024. Confidence has collapsed, and, as the chair of the committee mentioned, when we were at the Katanning saleyards Wednesday fortnight 200 sheep were passed in with no value whatsoever and were destroyed at the cost of the grower. That's what has happened to the industry in the 12 months since the phase-out panel went around Western Australia telling farmers that they have no future and that they're going to be closed down regardless of their views and the impact on their community. That is why it was important that the coalition agricultural policy committee visited Western Australia—to give those farmers a fair hearing.

Mr Glyde promised the farmers who took the effort to turn up to those meetings and make submissions to his panel that he would do everything he could to ensure the report he provided to government would be released to the public. Those farmers who took the effort to turn up to get their thoughts and views on the record and who provided written submissions were under the impression the report was going to be released to the public so that this issue could be debated publicly, so that there could be a fair and reasonable debate where the government had the public square to put its point of view and would give the farmers the opportunity to put their point of view. Did that happen? No. Will it happen? No, I don't think it will.

Minister Watt has had the opportunity to visit Western Australian farmers. He was in Western Australia on 19 February. He was invited to visit regional Western Australia to listen to farmers. He made himself available for half an hour to speak with agricultural industry leaders. They saw that as a complete affront and refused to meet with him, and I concur with their position. The minister had the opportunity to get out in regional WA and listen to Western Australian farmers about the impact that his policy, this government's policy, is going to have on their livelihoods. He refused to take up that offer, and I think Western Australian farmers have quite rightly marked him down for that.

So we come to today, where the coalition agricultural policy committee took the time and the effort—colleagues like the member for Barker took a week out of their very busy schedule—to come to Western Australia to listen to my farmers. We also said to those farmers who turned up to that meeting that we would make an attempt to table their submissions in this place; why wouldn't the government want to hear from those farmers we spoke to over the last week? This morning, the chairman of the committee asked if he could table those documents, provided to us in good faith, and he has been told that leave is not granted. This is an absolute disgrace. This is the government running scared from Western Australian farmers telling them how their world will look after its policy is introduced. It's an absolute disgrace, and I call on Western Australian farmers to keep fighting to the bitter end on this issue.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned, and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for a later hour.