Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to reflect on the fact that we are in the midst of, and will see develop even further, the worst animal welfare disaster in Australia's history. It can be put down to two causes: one was the dishonest actions of animal activists and the second was the action of Prime Minister Gillard. Why do I speak of dishonesty on the part of the animal activists? I just ask one question: how was it, if footage was found in January or February of 2011, that it took until the end of May or early June of that year before we saw that footage on public television? Answer that question and I will be satisfied. I have demonstrated that that footage was dishonest and I will continue to say so.

I now turn to the actions of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister took this action because she wanted to get the carbon tax—a tax she said would not happen under a government she led—off the front page of the newspaper. At the time this happened, I begged the minister for agriculture not to ban the trade to abattoirs in Indonesia that were compliant with international standards for slaughtering cattle, yet he went ahead and did so.

I had no difficulty, as the only veterinarian in this parliament, with him banning the trade to abattoirs that did not comply. If there was any truth at all in the footage we saw then those abattoirs should have been banned. On what basis, though, would we ban the trade to abattoirs that are internationally acceptable? On what basis would we turn around and remove the protein supply to 69 million Indonesian people of low socioeconomic background who were relying on this country—once a proud country that would never ever have been the subject of discussion about sovereign risk. Imagine if another country did that to our country, Australia, without consultation, without negotiation, without even informing us that they would turn around and ban that trade.

I regret that Senator Bishop came in here now and said that the trade has increased, that prices have increased. I can assure Senator Bishop and anyone else listening today: that is false. We do have cattle dying. I indicated after 2011 that, if we had a poor season, if we had an ongoing drought and if we had poor conditions, we would see an animal welfare disaster of a type we have never seen before. You are right, Senator Boswell, we will see the death of up to a million cattle.

Recently the cattlemen went through AgForce to the Queensland government and asked it to reopen some national parks and state parks that were themselves cattle stations. We are not talking about the Daintree Rainforest; we are talking about areas that were themselves cattle stations. The Queensland government, acting responsibly—no, Senator Conroy, not acting irresponsibly—have allowed graziers to turn their cattle in there. We now have environment minister Burke threatening to use the legislation to not only demand those cattle be removed but actually to fine those graziers. Be clear on this: why do we have that disaster?

The cows are about to calve in North Queensland and across the North. The calves from last year should be being prepared to be shipped overseas—they are still here. And the calves from two seasons ago should long have been in our export markets. I have to stand there now, talking to colleagues from Indonesia, to those from the Middle East with whom I was associated when I was a veterinarian in the live animal trade, and explain to them why it is that Australia's reputation has been trashed.

I will finish on the point of animal welfare, where I commenced. Of all of the 109 countries in the world that export live animals, only one attends to animal welfare and management of husbandry and transport in its target markets—Australia, and we have done so for years. It is Australia that has elevated the standards of animal welfare in our target markets, and if we are caused to exit those markets then I will tell you what will happen to animal welfare standards in those countries. Rest assured, they are still importing. The Saudis, who used to import three million sheep a year from us, are still importing nine million sheep a year. I have to stand there and face the pastoralists and the farmers who are shooting stock and who themselves are facing suicide as a result of the decisions of this government. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.