Slade Brockman (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is rare that we look over the ditch to our friends in New Zealand and like to praise them! It's rare; we have a healthy level of competition with our New Zealand fellow citizens of this part of the world. But I will today congratulate the incoming New Zealand government for standing strong and standing by their decision to overturn the New Zealand Labor government's ban on live exports and to reinstate live exports to New Zealand. This is, obviously, something that's very much welcomed by the farmers of New Zealand, and rightly so. It was an important part of the dynamics of their market, particularly in the cattle export trade.

Potentially, this comes at a cost to Australia because we did well out of that market when New Zealand decided to abandon its place in the live export trade of cattle. However, I'd say, particularly to Western Australian sheep farmers, and to all sheep farmers across Australia and everyone involved in that supply chain: 'Look across the ditch, and have hope. What the New Zealand government has done in overturning the ban on the live cattle trade can be done in Australia. All we need is a change of government.' A Liberal government led by Peter Dutton is committed to reinstating the live export trade in sheep, overturning any ban that is put in place by this Labor government which attacks our wonderful Western Australian sheep industry.