Mark Furner (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I will take that interjection because the senator opposite supports a Premier who is out of control in Queensland, sacking public servants—it was 20,000 public servants and now they have brought it down to 15,000 public servants. We need jobs in Queensland. We do not need a Premier who is out there sacking workers and reducing standards and conditions in our wonderful state of Queensland. This is why this particular subject is extremely important and why we need to make sure the jobs in the live export trade up in that region are protected.

The Farmer review also allowed the exporter supply chain assurance system to be extended to the second tranche of Australian livestock export markets from 1 September. The system will be implemented in Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the UAE. The government's reforms will now apply to 99 per cent of the Australian livestock export trade. Therefore, we know there are guarantees around to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected in respect of those particular countries and in particular the trade. We know also that the jobs and the livelihoods of those people who rely upon those exports are protected as well. We have introduced reforms that pick up all of the essential matters that were of concern, and we are progressing through the particular reforms as they stand.

We should also reflect and remind ourselves that any good reforms put in place certainly need some sort of incentive and encouragement to make sure they are carried out. We know that in some circumstances, where there are breaches of the rules, some of those exporters will face the consequences. Some of the sanctions that could apply include placing conditions on future consignments, refusing to approve future consignments or even cancelling an exporter's licence, and there are criminal sanctions for the most serious of offences.

This strong new system is only possible because of the hard work of the government and the industry in partnership. A good thing that the minister did was to have a fair degree of cooperation with the industry in this area. He went up to Indonesia himself. He went up to the north and conferred with the industry to make sure that all the concerns were addressed. That is why it is reflected in the Farmer review and adopted by this government: to make sure those matters are resolved. We will continue to have engagement with the industry to make sure that those matters are addressed.

The new framework requires evidence that animals will be handled and processed in accordance with the internationally accepted World Organisation for Animal Health animal welfare guidelines. It also enables the continuation of a highly valuable trade by placing it on a sustainable footing and by ensuring that the Australian live export industry meets community expectations. So, in my view, we have satisfied what needs to be met in the area of live animal export. (Time expired)