Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Back for his question, and acknowledge his longstanding interest in ensuring that Australia has a sustainable livestock export trade that increases the economic returns to our farmers and exporters for the long term, and especially his interest in this regard for his home state of Western Australia.

The value of the livestock export trade is increasing. Last year, after Labor's debacle, we were able to increase the quota for an additional 75,000 Australian live cattle. The government is committed to building on this progress. I am also pleased to inform the Senate that the government has reopened the live cattle export trade between Australia and Egypt. This follows our announcement in February that the trade of live cattle and sheep with Bahrain will also recommence. Bahrain has historically been an important market for Australian live sheep exports. Prior to the suspension of the trade in 2011, Bahrain imported 400,000 Australian sheep and 2,500 Australian cattle. These agreements will collectively sustain the jobs of Western Australian sheep producers who provide the vast majority of live sheep for export. During the seven years of the former Greens-Labor government, not one live sheep was exported from Australia to Egypt. Labor's reckless ban of live cattle exports to Indonesia, in a knee-jerk reaction to a Four Corners report, really did untold damage to our reputation to our nearest Asian neighbour. Indeed, the Indonesian market accounts for more than 62 per cent of Australian live cattle exports, on which so many of our Indigenous-run cattle stations rely. And so this is not only for the white farmers, but also for our Indigenous— (Time expired)