Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

CATHERINE KING (—) (): I move:

That this bill be now read a second time.

Animal welfare is important to the Australian community and they expect robust oversight, accountability and transparency of animal welfare in livestock exports. The Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports Amendment (Animal Welfare) Bill 2023 reinforces the government's commitment to strengthening animal welfare by expanding the current office of the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports to provide enhanced focus on animal welfare. This bill, together with the funding that we have already committed through the October 2022-23 budget to expand this office, delivers on our 2022 election commitment. The additional objects and functions proposed in this bill will help to increase oversight, accountability and transparency for animal welfare in exported livestock, and deliver on the government's commitment to strengthening animal welfare.

This bill provides for an expanded and independent office of the Inspector-General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports. It does this by building on the established Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports role with a focus on expanded animal welfare objectives and functions.

The government supports independent and transparent arrangements around the regulation of the livestock exports. Importantly, the central role of the Inspector-General of Animal Welfare and Live Animal Exports will continue to be reviewing the conduct of Commonwealth officials regulating livestock exports, as the current office of the Inspector-General of Live Animal Exports does.

This bill expands on that role to provide a new level of focus and assurance that Commonwealth legislation and standards are achieving good outcomes for animal welfare, through the objectives put forward in this bill. These objectives include to:

In addition, the Inspector-General's functions, as outlined in this bill, are to review the effectiveness of:

A focus on these four pillars of our regulatory system—activities, systems, standards and reporting—will help to improve and assure the systems in place to achieve export animal welfare outcomes.

For the first time, the Inspector-General will provide an independent layer of oversight over our animal welfare export standards, to assure that Australia's livestock exports continue to be underpinned by high standards and the best available science.

Many of the objectives and functions have been shaped through a public consultation process.

The consultations revealed broad concerns around how—and what—information is reported in relation to livestock exports. This includes whether current arrangements are appropriately considering and reporting on animal welfare outcomes, and whether the current reporting arrangements assure commercial information is appropriately managed.

For this reason, the government has taken steps to substantially expand the role of the Inspector-General around reviewing the reporting arrangements that are currently in place, with a view to ensuring they are fit for purpose—or to recommend improvements as necessary. This encompasses what is currently reported to the parliament under the Export Control Act 2020. Together, these new functions will help to inform the government on the best approach to public reporting of livestock export and of welfare outcomes.

The independence of the Inspector-General was another central theme raised through consultation. This bill responds by clarifying certain processes around how the Inspector-General conducts its reviews and publishes information.

Through this bill, the government is providing for transparent arrangements around how the Inspector-General can engage consultants for specialised advice, as well as how the Inspector-General publishes information.

The Inspector-General must also prepare an annual work plan for each financial year, in consultation with the minister. Annual work plans (and variations) must be published on the Inspector-General's website. The Inspector-General will also prepare and publish their work plan for the financial year ahead, setting out key outcomes and priorities.

The Inspector-General will not be subject to interference. This bill provides for the Inspector-General to have complete discretion in the performance its functions and powers. While the minister may direct the Inspector-General to conduct a review, importantly, the Inspector-General will not be subject to direction in the conduct of a review or the content of any report.

Together, these enshrine the new Inspector-General's independence from the regulator of Australia's livestock exports.

In summary: the additional objects allow for the Inspector-General to monitor, investigate and report on implementation by the Australian government of animal welfare and live animal export legislation and standards.

The additional functions include conducting reviews into the effectiveness of Commonwealth systems for the administration of livestock exports under animal welfare and live animal export legislation.

The bill also provides for independence of the Inspector-General and provides a legislative basis for the Inspector-General to operate independently, impartially and transparently.

Together, the expanded role will increase accountability for—and transparency of—animal welfare in exported livestock.

The bill delivers on a commitment of the government to strengthen animal welfare and underlines our commitment to holding ourselves accountable.

I commend the bill to the House.

Debate adjourned.