Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'd love to update the House on a wonderful event which took place in Hamilton over the weekend: Sheepvention, one of the largest rural expos which occur in western Victoria. I start by thanking the chair, Will Kinghorn, and the president, David Botterill, and all their committee for the wonderful work that they do in putting Sheepvention on. There are countless volunteer hours that go into putting this large rural expo on, and the committee does outstanding work in making sure that Sheepvention takes place year on year on year. Even when we went through the pandemic, they made sure it was done virtually.

But this time everyone was back, out and about. The weather was good, and it was a fantastic Sheepvention. They had a guest speaker, Roger Fletcher, who came all the way down from New South Wales. He drove because he wanted to look at the countryside as he came down. He spoke very well about the opportunities which still exist for the sheep industry but also about future challenges that the industry is going to face. It was a very thoughtful speech by someone who is at the heart and centre of the wool industry.

Of course, everything was showcased, whether it be fine merino wool, whether it be those prime lambs or whether it be the breeders. Of course, there are very important sales that take place. You'll see some of the best stud rams in the nation on display.

The sheep industry makes an incredibly important contribution to our nation. It's a large generator of export revenue. It's also a large generator of jobs locally. Whether it's the breeding industry or those who are producing wool, sheepmeat or prime lambs, right across the board they make a significant contribution to our nation. Of course, it's wonderful to be able to have a stand there, and the local community from right across the region who come to Sheepvention get the chance to interact. I thank everyone who came up to me and was talking about the issues that were of concern to them such as the local roads and making sure that Dan Andrews does something to invest in our state roads, which are in such a poor state, or the concerns at the moment that farmers have with the cultural heritage laws, which look like they're about to be ripped up in Western Australia—but no-one knows what's going to take place in Victoria or nationally. All those issues and many more were discussed, and well done to the organisers.