Mark Bishop (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

In that case, I still will not withdraw my remarks; I will just adjourn them to another time.

Senator Heffernan interjecting—

Senator Heffernan, I do know a lot of things and I know about this. What I was going to say in my opening comments was that, when decisions are made, as Senator Boswell said, there are consequences and there are repercussions. I do not for one moment concede that this has not been a most difficult issue—it has been a difficult issue in Queensland, a difficult issue in the Northern Territory and a difficult issue in Western Australia. It has affected the owners of the properties in those places. It has affected the workers on those stations, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. It has affected those who are active in and participate in and make an income from participating in the trade.

But when this TV footage was released and caused an immense reaction right across Australia, out of the blue, our government took decisions affecting the live cattle trade that did have consequences and did have repercussions. We do not for one moment resile, and have not at any time resiled, from that decision we made and implemented, because always, since that decision was made, we have had one core purpose in mind: we wanted to have a strong, viable, sustainable, live cow, live sheep, live product, meat export industry out of this country. That is what we wanted then, that is what we want now and, most importantly in this discussion, that is what we have now.

All of our markets have been restored. Sheep, cattle and goats are being exported in larger and larger numbers and the significant community opposition that did exist and brought this to media attention has dropped right off. So I ask the question, in the context of the remarks on consequences and repercussions with which Senator Boswell opened his discussion: what are the consequences and what are the repercussions?