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

The Albanese Labor government recently announced that it was going to shut down the WA live sheep trade from May 2028. This decision was not backed by science. It was not backed by legitimate animal welfare concerns. Instead, it was all about politics and ensuring the Labor hold on inner-city seats in Sydney and Melbourne. On Wednesday, I attended a very important roundtable discussion in Perth with key live export industry stakeholders, the Leader of the Opposition, the member for O'Connor and Senator Brockman. The Leader of the Opposition has done what the Prime Minister and the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry have failed to do. The Leader of the Opposition has taken time to sit down, listen and engage with this very important Western Australian industry. I'd like to thank the Leader of the Opposition for listening to the members of my community and for reiterating his support for the live sheep trade.

An important point that the Prime Minister would know, if he bothered to listen to the concerns of regional Western Australians, is that it isn't just farmers who will be impacted by the end of this trade come 2028. During our roundtable, we heard from members of the transport industry and the shearing industry. They made it clear that this decision will mean less work in WA regional communities. Just think of the trickle-down effect that this ban would have on regional towns. It would mean less money going through local businesses and will ultimately force people out of towns. This means fewer children enrolled in schools and sporting clubs becoming unviable.

We also heard from the live cattle exporters from my electorate of Durack, and I want to thank them for coming along to this very important meeting. They understand that they will be the next target of this antifarming, anti-WA government. The activists have already shifted their focus to the live cattle trade, and we all know that Labor is prepared to sell out regional WA communities to pander to the inner-city activists or to the microparties like the Animal Justice Party. Regional Western Australians were clear that banning this trade would be crossing a red line.

Those opposite thought that they could make this decision and that there would be no political consequences. I'm very glad to inform this chamber that our agricultural sector and farmers aren't going to give up without a fight, and the Labor government is about to feel the power of regional Western Australians. This Friday, thousands of Western Australians will come together to launch the Keep the Sheep campaign. We'll see up to 1,000 vehicles, mostly farm vehicles and tractors, involved in a rally spanning Perth. The purpose of this campaign is to inform the people of Perth and the whole of Western Australia how Western Australian farmers and regional communities are being ignored and attacked by this Albanese Labor government. The message from regional WA and our agricultural industry is clear: keep the sheep.