John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 707 by omitting all words in paragraph (g) and substituting: 'PETA has embarked on a campaign to mislead the Australian community to the detriment of the wool industry.' The full text of the revised motion has been circulated in the chamber.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate notes that—

(a) for over 100 years the Australian economy was said to be 'riding on the sheep's back';

(b) wool is Australia's third largest agricultural export;

(c) the gross value of wool produced in Australia in 2013-14 was $2.53 billion;

(d) the value of Australian wool exported in 2013-14 was $2.87 billion;

(e) shearers and wool producers are hard-working people with strong animal welfare ethics;

(f) the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has admitted its picture of a supposed bloodied lamb is a fake; and

(g) PETA has embarked on a campaign to mislead the Australian community to the detriment of the wool industry.

Mr President, I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

John Williams (NSW, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This was a disgraceful slur on the shearers and the wool industry as a whole. Agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce describes as 'a pack of lies' the campaign video by animal rights group PETA. Mr Joyce said that the video star guitarist Jona Weinhofen, from the band I Killed the Prom Queen, was a man 'living in vegan splendour' in California and who had little knowledge of shearing practices in Australia.

Being a shearer for some 27 years part time I know the care that the shearers take in looking after the sheep, as do the graziers as well. We get emails from Ms Claire Fryer, Campaign Coordinator of PETA Australia, and phone calls to Senator Heffernan, saying that we should not be running sheep. I hope that these people do not have woollen jumpers, woollen suits or woollen coats in their wardrobes, making hypocrites of themselves. The wool industry built this modern nation of Australia through wool exports. The people who work in the industry are good, hardworking, decent people and they do not deserve to have this propaganda spread against them.

Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Greens I request that Hansardnotes that the Greens senators do not support this motion and that we note the constructive work that PETA undertakes to end cruelty carried out against animals.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Rhiannon; it is so noted.

Question agreed to.