Emma Comer (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to take a moment to pay tribute to one of our great local manufacturers, Packer Leather. This is a company with a proud history spanning back to 1891. It manufactures in Narangba and is known around the world for producing some of the highest quality kangaroo leather on the market. Right now, they are under real pressure. They're rapidly losing contracts, not because the product isn't world class but because the Center for a Humane Economy's misinformation campaign, Kangaroos Are Not Shoes, is successfully convincing international brands to abandon kangaroo leather. The global sportswear giants have announced that they plan to phase out or immediately cease to use kangaroo leather in their footwear lines.

But here's the truth, kangaroo leather is one of the most sustainable types in the world. It comes from a wild population, not factory farming, and prevents the waste of animal products. It's an industry that supports over 3,000 jobs, many of those in the regions. Kangaroo leather is the world's strongest for its weight, and it is being replaced by synthetics, contributing to the growing problem of plastics in the environment. Kangaroo overpopulation is a real issue facing our biodiversity, and it's undeniably better to cull a population in a regulated way that minimises suffering for the animal.

Packer Leather deserves our support. I had the pleasure of visiting their facility and seeing up close the operations of a local family business that deserves to continue to excel on the global stage. Packer Leather has been part of our story for generations. Let's make sure it continues to be part of our future.