Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I present to the Senate a petition that is not in conformity with the standing orders, which has 129,140 signatures, calling for a phase-out of all live exports in Australia. I note that the petition has attracted nearly 10,000 additional signatures online since it was printed this week. I seek leave to make a short statement.

Cory Bernardi (SA, Australian Conservatives) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Derryn Hinch (Victoria, Derryn Hinch's Justice Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thirty-seven years ago I brought a petition to the old Parliament House down the road to present to the then Minister for Primary Industry, Peter Nixon. In pre-social media days, 30,000 listeners to Melbourne's 3AW signed that petition calling for an end to live exports from Australia and it fell on deaf ears. The recent 60 Minutes expose, following on from Four Corners some years ago, showed that this cruelty still goes on despite what industry spokesmen are trying to tell you. I'm very proud that this year, nearly four decades later, well over 100,000 people have signed our petition for an end to this cruel practice. I thank those people from all over Australia for doing that, because this time I believe it will happen—phased in over five years, but it will happen.