Andrew Wilkie (Denison, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week Animals Australia announced they have lodged a second complaint with the government regarding Australian sheep being cruelly butchered at the notorious Al Rai livestock market in Kuwait. Good on them! The sale of Australian sheep at this market is in clear breach of the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System, ESCAS, which was put in place by the government after the shocking evidence of the live export cruelty in Indonesia emerged on Four Corners in May almost two years ago. In fact, Animals Australia first reported breaches in Kuwait with the government five months ago, and in another investigation just last month they found at least 11 merchants selling or butchering Australian sheep. But since Animals Australia first notified the government of ESCAS breaches, thousands of Australian sheep have been sold and slaughtered against regulations and, according to Animals Australia, the only change has been that livestock traders now tear the ear tags out of Australian sheep in an crude attempt to get around the system. Yes, that is right. The current system is so weak that a tug on the ear and a shriek of animal pain is all that is required to beat the best animal welfare system this country has so far been able to come up with. And that is pathetic.

Since September last year, Animals Australia has also raised news of ESCAS breaches in Pakistan, Israel and Mauritius. And in each instance the government has apparently done nothing, which is evidence, I am sure, that the Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System is simply no assurance at all.

I have received countless emails, letters and phone calls from my constituents about live animal exports and other animal welfare matters. The concern expressed is urgent and genuine. The community is sick to death of this government treating animal welfare as a persistent nuisance and paying it only passing concern. The government has shown itself to be either incompetent or unwilling to police animal welfare or make the establishment of a sometimes talked about office of animal welfare a top priority. This would, I suggest, remove animal welfare from political and commercial self-interest and, with a broad remit to enforce strong animal welfare standards across the whole of government, genuinely help to ensure animal welfare standards are appropriately enforced.

Lyn White and Animals Australia do a fantastic job. They have my gratitude and the gratitude of many other Australians, particularly my constituents. But this is ultimately a government responsibility. And until we have an independent office of animal welfare, I have no confidence that the government will take its responsibility seriously.