Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

I thought I would rise this afternoon to make a few remarks in support of this matter also and to follow Senator Davey, who made it very clear that the coalition will not be supporting this position put by Senator Faruqi and the Australian Greens. I speak as a West Australian senator. This is an agriculture industry very important to the livelihood of Western Australia, Western Australian regional families, Western Australian communities. To quantify that for people, in 2021-22 the industry was worth in excess of $100 million to Western Australia and, in 2022-23, in excess of $110 million, so it makes a sizeable contribution to the welfare and prosperity of our state.

There is a very important point to be made and, indeed, a point to be reiterated—that is, if the position of the Australian Greens is to be supported and is to be upheld, then we have this perverse outcome that countries with poorer animal welfare standards will be lifted and raised in the global trade to fill the void left by the Australian and the West Australian trade. That's a very important point. As Senator Davey remarked, if Australia, and Western Australia in particular, was to leave the live export industry, it does not mean that the trade would get better. In fact, the very, very real outcome would be an industry, a global industry, that has lower standards than currently exist. It's the participation of the Australian live export industry, I believe, that maintains very, very high standards across the world. Indeed, it's the existence and participation of Australian traders that ensure that the highest standards are in fact replicated.

Over the last few years, I think the industry has met and understood the changing community expectations that exist around the live export industry. The trade generates important wealth and income for the Australian economy, supporting thousands of people employed across associated industries throughout rural and regional communities in my home state of Western Australia, in particular. The ongoing success of the trade depends on the very hard work of producers and exporters and their strong and continuing commitment to world standards in regard to animal welfare and their very, very strong endorsement of robust rules that are based on science and evidence.

It's an important point that, when I think about the live export trade in Western Australia, I am reminded that the industry has been very alive to changing community expectations. I'm alive to the fact that they have used an evidence based approach to lift standards. In particular, new developments in regard to heat stress management for the live export of sheep should always be considered as they become available, and that is an experience and a practice that the Australian industry does endorse. These amendments take into consideration new data on managing heat stress. The focus on animal welfare has resulted in historically low mortality rates in sheep exported in recent years. Labor have indicated they will ban the live sheep export trade, but not in this term of government. That's a very, very stark warning. It should be an alarm bell for Western Australian agricultural producers that, while Labor has said that they will not ban it, that is not their future position. Labor have indicated that they will ban the live sheep trade at some point in the future, just not in this term.

In June, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry claimed that there was no evidence the animal welfare issues with live exports could be addressed. That's a position that Western Australian senators like myself and, indeed, other members of the Western Australian federal parliamentary party, including Rick Wilson, Slade Brockman, Senator Matt O'Sullivan and others, all agree with and all support. Labor have also indicated that the industry is declining. I invite them to travel across regional Western Australia so they can see for themselves just how important this industry actually is. With those brief remarks, I add my support and my strong endorsement for the success of the Western Australian live export industry and the great work that they do not just in meeting and exceeding community expectations but in rising to the challenge of making sure that the trade is based on the best possible science, is evidence based and is making a really important contribution to Australia's agricultural wealth and the wealth and prosperity of every Western Australian town and family.