Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator McKenzie for her question and, in doing so, I acknowledge one of our former colleagues in this place, former senator Ron Boswell, for his very strong interest in all things agriculture, but particularly Australia's kangaroo industry, which he had such a huge, huge interest in. Yes, Senator McKenzie, we are very concerned about the proposed legislation that has been lodged by a United States congressman which seeks to ban the import of kangaroo meat and products into the US. We believe that the commercial kangaroo industry in Australia is absolutely appropriate and highly regulated. It's highly sustainable, and our quotas are based on a science based approach. Our commercial industry has been going now for over 60 years and is considered one of the world's best wild harvest industries in totality. The management of the export of kangaroo products is based firmly on the principles of sustainability, and the industry is a huge provider of jobs, particularly jobs in rural and regional Australia. It's very often the case that those jobs are taken up by our Indigenous Australians.

Australian exports kangaroo products like meat, hides and skins to around 70 countries around the world, including places like Italy and the United States. Although the United States is not a huge direct importer of kangaroo meat, it is a huge importer of kangaroo leather products. These leather products are considered to be some of the highest-quality leather products in the world. We are aware of the potential risks that this legislation poses for the industry. Given the size of the US market and that global brands could be forced through pressure to move away from using this sustainably harvested product is of great concern to the government. That's why we have been working to gain the support of the industry, so that we can put pressure on the US.