Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Is the minister aware of the benefits of Australia’s live export industry to Australian farming families in rural communities, and are there any alternative views?

Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Braddon for his question. He would have been disturbed by the incidents over the weekend of animal rights activists at Devonport in his electorate attempting to disrupt or prevent a legitimate and lawful trade in Australian livestock. Even more disturbing to the member for Braddon, to me and to interested members of parliament would have been the response since that disgraceful behaviour over the weekend, where we saw a press release issued by Senator Bartlett of the Australian Democrats which made a couple of claims. The first is:

... ending live exports, there would be minimal impact on most rural sectors and extra jobs in the regional areas which so desperately need them.

Abolish the livestock export trade, according to Senator Bartlett, and you lose no jobs. It is $1 billion every year in income, a trade in which there are hundreds—indeed thousands—of jobs involved for transporters, processors and handlers as well as, of course, the farmers who produce the stock. So the absurdity of that economic equation by Senator Bartlett defies belief. It is so unnecessary, because we have the highest standards in the world. If we were to vacate the field, as Senator Bartlett suggests, then our international competitors would fill the void in an instant, leaving Australian farmers, their families, farm workers and all those through the supply chain without jobs, without income. It shows a complete lack of understanding by Senator Bartlett and the Democrats, as well as animal liberationists, of the interests of Australian agricultural families and the like.

The second claim by Senator Bartlett is that you could replace the livestock export trade with ‘a thriving export market for processed meat from Australia’. The fact is that many of the Muslim countries in the Middle East and Asia hold a strong preference for fresh meat because of consumer requirements and religious beliefs. Also, many of the markets do not have refrigeration—not at the point of disembarkation, not in transport vehicles, not in homes—so there are issues of food safety. At the same time, in many communities cultural and religious preferences demand that meat needs to be purchased and consumed near where the livestock is slaughtered.

The Australian livestock trade under this government will continue under the highest possible standards, and the government will continue to support a vital export trade that supports our rural and national economies. But will the Labor Party? When are we going to get a commitment from the Labor Party on support for the livestock export trade and all the safeguards in place? Joining Senator Bartlett in calling for the industry to stop overnight is the Meat Workers Union, a Labor Party associate.

Gavan O'Connor (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You single-handedly wrecked the industry, you hypocrite.

Peter McGauran (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The shadow minister for agriculture is trying to lift his profile. He is trying to make his electorate more happy. He wants to go up the index. Invite the Treasurer or else support Australian farmers.