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

I would submit that I've actually addressed that issue in the earlier part of my answer. As I was saying, this was an election commitment that we took to not just one but two elections. We are now delivering on that election commitment, as Australians would expect. As I say, not only is this a commitment that was supported by those on the east coast of Australia but the most recent surveys published demonstrate that 70 per cent of Western Australians support this commitment as well.

We are acknowledging that this will be a significant change for many in the industry, and that's why the government is putting forward a $107 million transition package to assist the industry to make this transition—a transition package that has been contributed to by every single Australian taxpayer, whether they live on the east or west coast of Australia.

We know that this is an industry that's been in long-term decline, even under the coalition government, and the numbers of sheep being exported by sea have fallen by 90 per cent over the last 20 years. (Time expired)