Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In August 2017, 2,400 sheep died in terrible conditions on a ship travelling from Fremantle to the Middle East. In July 2016, 3,027 sheep died due to heat stress on the same journey. This shocking cruelty is becoming an all-too-frequent occurrence, and Australians have had enough. They want the cruelty to end. I've been contacted by thousands of constituents who say that they want the sheep trade to end.

The Australian Veterinary Association and the RSPCA have said that the northern summer sheep trade must cease. The Turnbull government's response has been predictable and out of touch—another review, an increase in fines, blah, blah, blah. Australians have heard it all before, and nothing changes. Australians have said, 'Enough is enough,' and Labor has listened. Labor has a clear and decisive response. If Labor is elected, we will stop the northern summer sheep trade at our first opportunity. We will phase out the balance of the live sheep export trade into the future. And we will introduce higher regulatory standards during that transition phase. Labor will end the cruelty. Labor will support our sheep farmers to ensure they're successful and, importantly, to ensure that we create jobs here in Australia through a domestic industry. Labor will end the cruelty. Only Labor will act on live sheep exports.