Andrew Bartlett (Queensland, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Abetz. I refer the minister to the footage screened on the 60 Minutes program last Sunday night showing extreme cruelty being inflicted on cattle at a slaughterhouse in Egypt that regularly receives Australian animals as part of our live export trade. Can the minister give an assurance to the Senate and the Australian public that none of the sheep or cattle exported to the Middle East in their hundreds of thousands will be subjected to the sort of extreme cruelty that has now been documented a number of times as occurring in many of the areas they are sent to? Is the minister also aware that, according to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Middle Eastern countries already accept over 50,000 tonnes of meat slaughtered in Australia in a halal accredited manner—the equivalent of over two million animals? Why does the government not put as much energy into expanding the slaughtered meat trade from Australia as it does trying to boost the live animal trade, which clearly involves cruelty levels that many Australians find unacceptable?