Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports Amendment (Animal Welfare) Bill 2023. Before Senator McGrath moves off, can I just say thank you very much, Senator McGrath—through you, Acting Deputy President Hughes—for your contribution. It's terrific to have that sense of solidarity from senators from other states. My good friend and senator from Queensland knows all too well how onslaughts and attacks on particular industries impacts the lives of family run businesses. I very much appreciate his thoughtful words.

I also want to take the opportunity to thank Senator Brockman for his contribution. Senator Brockman always delivers very thoughtful and powerful speeches on every topic, but, Senator Brockman—through you, Acting Deputy President—that was one of the more powerful presentations that you've ever brought into this place. I think it's not because Senator Brockman has farming in his blood—it's in his family; he's run a farm and his family still has a farm—but because he's dedicated his entire career to working in this space. I've learnt an enormous amount from him since coming into this place and having visited many of the agriculture areas across Western Australia, often with Senator Brockman. I've learnt so much. His connection to the families, the workers and the businesses that are attached to the agricultural industry is, frankly, second to none. When he speaks with that passion that he brought into this place here tonight—sometimes there are people that come into this place and you can spot them as a fake from a mile off because they bring in confected outrage. What you saw tonight was genuine outrage because this is impacting upon families.

I went with many colleagues to the Woolorama Wagin show earlier this year. We had a petition there against what the Albanese Labor government is doing in relation to the banning of live sheep exports. I've never seen a more popular petition. Sometimes you're disappointed that people don't quite get what the issue is, and you wish that you could get more signatures—if people only understood exactly what was going on. Not a person walked past that booth that we held at the Wagin Woolorama in the Liberal Party tent. I suspect a lot of those people may not have voted for us at the last election, hence the result that we had. But not a person walked past without signing that petition, because it was impacting people. There were many people that approached it with real emotion as they signed. There were young people that knew that this ban was going to cost them their job. There were parents that knew that the decision of this government was going to cost them their family farm and their kids' future.

The government will say that they have a mandate because this is what they said before the election that they would do. Well, explain to me why in those key seats of Western Australia, where there actually are sheep farmers, the Liberal Party won? We won those seats of O'Connor, Forrest and Durack. They might have had a mandate from some of the inner-city seats over here on the east coast, but in Western Australia this is a real issue. Even people in the city seats understand that this is an important issue for Western Australians.

We're going to support the passage of this particular legislation. I would be far more enthusiastic about my support for it if I knew that the government were actually supportive of this industry and farmers across Australia—and, indeed, Western Australia—but we know by their actions that they're not. The Albanese government have declared war on the Western Australian agricultural industry by banning live sheep exports. We've seen it before. Like Senator McGrath was saying, they will come after the cattle industry, like they've done before and like I'm sure they'll do in the future.

When the coalition were in government, we were concerned about this bill overreaching into state and territory government responsibilities, but since an inquiry has been held we've sought clarity to ensure that this would not be the case. The coalition government was strong when it came to supporting the agricultural industry. Unlike those opposite, we worked constructively and consulted broadly with industry. It was the former coalition government that established the office of the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports through the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports Act, which we passed in 2019.

The live export trade is a large industry in the Australian economy; make no mistake about it. In 2021-22, Australia exported a total of just over a million livestock, 1.1 million livestock, which included 615,000 cattle and 489,000 sheep. The total value of livestock exported from Australia in 2021-22 was approximately $1.3 billion—$1 billion for cattle and $85 million for sheep. This government thinks that the sheep trade is an easy target because it's maybe not as big as the cattle export trade, but do you know what? To those working families, to those family run businesses and farms across Western Australia, it means a heck of a lot. It's a big deal to them. You're coming after them.

I remember the ad campaigns. I remember the slogans. I remember the billboards you had up in Western Australia saying: 'Vote Labor. Stand up for WA.' You wouldn't dare go to any of those farms or those families right now and prove to them that you're standing up for them. They would laugh straight in your face because they know exactly who you stand up for. You're just standing up for the inner-city lefties over here on the east coast. Why don't you stand up for the Western Australians? They fight hard for their businesses and work themselves to the bone to provide a living for their families and to provide a great future for generations to come, and you're cutting it. The government needs to support this important industry, but we know that Labor is weak when it comes to supporting the agricultural industry. If only they had a minister that was serious about standing up for them. Labor and the Greens have it out for farmers, especially in WA.

With little to no consultation, the Albanese government announced that they would ban live sheep exports. Don't worry—at least they're consulting on the industry's demise. They've appointed a panel that's going around and having engagement with people after the fact. They've got a horrible job. Imagine fronting up to those families. Imagine fronting up to those consultations. They're just consulting on how they're going to close it down, not about what they could do. I know they've done a heck of a lot. I've been on the ships. I've gone and had a look. I've gone to inspect them myself. I've gone with Senator Brockman down to the feedlots to see how they prepare the animals, how the vets come in and check them before they're put on the ship.

I'm just talking about the exporters here, those that are handling the export. The care that they've taken is unbelievable. I was blown away at how they have embraced animal husbandry and animal care and protection to support that industry. It's amazing. In fact, fewer sheep die on the ship in that process than they do out in the paddock in the nice, green, open fields. The steps that the industry have taken is amazing. So here is the government, out consulting with them about their demise. What a shame.

The four-person panel consulting with the industry on the best way to close the trade have clearly found themselves overwhelmed by the calls to open it. The update recently provided by the government's panel said:

An overwhelming majority of those people who attended our public meetings voiced their opposition to the government's decision to implement its election commitment and phase out live sheep exports by sea.

The only people who want the government to ban sheep exports, as I've said, are those inner-city left and vegan activists, particular those over here on the east coast, because if you had the guts to actually engage and reach out and understand the view of Western Australians then you would know that Labor is not standing up for WA. It's obvious with their attack on the livelihoods of Western Australians that is in this bill.

Never mind about the livelihoods of those employed making their living working with sheep, like Stephen Bolt, a Corrigin stud merino breeder. He said:

The industry is improving voyage-on-voyage and with Australia leading the way that flows across the globe to other live exported animals.

The result of pressure from activist groups is that the government is making a decision—

listen to this—

that's not based on the science and the evidence.

Go and have a look like I have. I know my colleagues have done it and taken the opportunity to go on to a ship and see the ventilation, the big fans. You start at level 1 where maybe the sheep that have just been loaded on in the last hour or so are standing. They're in a new environment, so it's going to be a little exciting for them. As you go up the levels, to where they have been there for several hours or maybe a day, you see that they're literally lying on the ground, seated on the ground—very comfortable. There are ventilation shafts with big fans blowing in cool air. The steps the industry have taken to protect the animals is unbelievable.

The live sheep trade is almost exclusively a Western Australian industry, and that's why I'm saying that this is an attack on Western Australia. It's important to the Western Australian agricultural economy. Banning the industry would directly cause the loss of over 3½ thousand jobs across the supply chain, with about 80 per cent of them based in WA.

I commend a member of the WA upper house, Mr Steve Martin. He is also someone I have learnt an enormous amount from. He's a sheep farmer himself and also a wheat farmer. I've learnt an enormous amount from him as I've gone out to field days with him. He has introduced me to many, many farmers and families that this decision of the Albanese government is affecting. He and his colleagues Rick Wilson, the member for O'Connor; and Senator Slade Brockman have received over 10,000 signatures to stop the phasing out of live sheep exports consult with industry. Maybe you haven't signed it yet. I encourage you to get on there and sign it—I've signed it; I know my other colleagues here have signed it—because it is important that we show solidarity with those family run businesses in Western Australia, those 3½ thousand people that are working across the supply chain—again, 80 per cent of them in Western Australia.

Australia has some of the best animal welfare standards in the world. The foolishness of this policy that the government is taking is that the market that we are supplying to will just fill it with supply from other countries that don't have the standards that we have. I spoke about the incredible standards at the feedlot, let alone actually on the farms, let alone out on the fields and in the paddocks, and even on the ship—the fact that there's a vet and an inspector on every one of those voyages. It's just going to export it.

This is the lunacy of this policy that the government has. It is such a shame. Why don't you stand up for Western Australian businesses and Western Australian farmers and support them, rather than kowtowing to the inner-city Left?