Here we go again, yet another example of a live export case in the courts that has fallen over because the emotional rhetoric does not match up to the facts.

This is what happens when animal activists and activist ministers come together and attempt to use the legal system to end a legitimate trade.

Every time it has been tried it has failed, with the latest example being former Minister MacTiernan’s five-year crusade against Emanuel Exports being pulled by Minister Jarvis last week before it too no doubt failed in the courts.

The same thing happened back in 2007, when a previous WA Labor government brought an action against exporters only to have the case thrown out of court.

It happened again in 2011, when the Gillard Labor government panicked and shut the trade only to have a court find that the action was unlawful nine years later.

Thankfully we live in a country where the rule of law still has the power to check adventurous politicians and their activist friends.

Only problem it is limited to those who have deep enough pockets to take on the government, which has the unlimited resources of the taxpayer.

In the most recent case, we were lucky enough to still have a minister that was prepared to listen to legal advice and not continue to drive the agenda of the former minister and her activist friends, so credit to WA Agriculture Minister Jarvis for being a very different minister to her predecessor, not to mention her federal counterpart.

And finally, what is it with the activists? They demand the government take every incident to court, even the ones that reek of cash for cruelty images but when the matter falls over they come rushing out accusing the government and courts of corruption.

Mind you, these are the same people that move seamlessly from campaigning to end the live export trade to campaigning to retain Hamas in power over Gaza.

It’s time we turned the spotlight on the animal activists and their ministerial friends (many of whom are also confused over the role of Hamas) and start calling out the abuse of truth with the cash for cruelty, the abuse of power through selling trading the trade for votes and the abuse of farmers who are left with the costs.

Live export timeline

• August 2017: 2400 sheep die from heat stress on the Awassi Express in the Persian Gulf. 
• January 2018: DPIRD begins an investigation.
• June 2018: DPIRD officers raided Emanuel Exports’ office in Perth under the direction of former Minister Alannah MacTiernan.
• June 2018: Emanuel Exports has its licence suspended.
• July 2019: After an 18-month investigation, Emanuel Exports directors Graham Daws and Michael Stanton charged.
• December 2021: Emanuel Exports has its licence reinstated.
• October 2023: Federal Liberal Member for O’Connor Rick Wilson MP penned a letter calling for Minister Jarvis to end the five-year case of alleged animal cruelty against Emanuel Exports that began under her predecessor Alannah MacTiernan.
• October 2023: The matter is listed for trial in the Perth Magistrates Court for November.
• November 2023: The State Government receives new legal advice and drops the case.
• 2024 ??  The Federal Government announces its ban on the trade to the cheers of their friends the animal activists and the Green Teal voters in inner city seats.

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