Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I listened intently to Senator Scullion's contribution acknowledging that Senator Scullion is a Territorian. He certainly knows his stuff, he knows his territory, he knows his constituents and he knows the problems they face. As an ex-long distance truck driver who plied my trade through the Kimberley and through the Northern Territory for quite a few years—some that I remember fondly; some I would like to forget—I am very mindful of the importance of the live cattle trade to our state, to Senator Scullion's territory and, to a lesser extent, to Queensland. This is a travesty; it is shocking. There is no doubt about that. I think we would have far greater resolutions in this place if we could hear the sensible arguments put forward by people like Senator Scullion and not some of the hysterics from other members of the opposition.

But let us talk a little about the impact. I want to talk too about the impact on our Aboriginal stockmen. I am very actively involved, as is Senator Scullion, with Kimberley Aboriginal Pastoralists Associa­tion, known as KAPA. They are led by a wonderful Australian, Doodie Lawford, out there at Bohemia Downs. Doodie and I speak regularly. We contact each other a lot and I know that there are conversations in your territory, Senator Scullion, with Doodie and his mob on the impact this is having on them. But we have to be very mindful: we have to get this right. I am not going to stand here and say that this can go on for ever and ever. It cannot. It needs to be fixed and it needs to be fixed quickly, but it needs to be fixed in such a way that the industry does not get stumped again by footage that none of us want to see.

On that footage, I have not met one Australian who condones that behaviour. I know for a fact that it would upset not only us in the city based populations but certainly our pastoralists. It was very distressing, but what also distresses me is what I found out today from a media report that I was not quite sure of. I received the report from Colin Bettles. If my memory serves me right, it was not from Colin. Colin who wrote it, but I think he is tied up with one of the farming papers.