Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) | Hansard source

These are more delaying tactics from an opposition that has sought at every stage to delay debate and delay the delivery of an election commitment that the Australian people voted for. That's what going on here tonight. Let's be very clear about what we're debating. We're debating something that the Labor Party took to the last two federal elections and won the last federal election on. It wasn't that long ago that Senator Henderson was actually supporting us on it. We can go back and have a look at those quotes from Senator Henderson. I think she described it as an 'immoral trade'. I think those were her words. It wasn't that long ago that Senator Henderson was actually going much further in her language than anyone in the Labor Party has ever done.

So what we're debating here tonight, the Export Control Amendment (Ending Live Sheep Exports by Sea) Bill 2024, is a piece of legislation to deliver an election commitment that was voted for by the Australian people and that Western Australians largely supported at the last federal election. It then went through months of consultation through an independent panel of four people appointed by the government, who provided advice to the government on it. It then went to a House of Representatives inquiry with two hearings, one of which was in Canberra and one of which was in Western Australia. It was then debated and passed in the House of Representatives, and it is now here in the Senate. For anyone in this chamber, particularly those on the other side of this chamber, to argue—