The Hon. David Littleproud, Leader of The Nationals, Media Release, 1 July 2024
Leader of The Nationals David Littleproud said Labor has turned its back on the farming industry today, after ignoring a delegation of Western Australian farmers and obtaining the numbers needed in the Senate to phase out live sheep exports.
Mr Littleproud said Labor had once again treated farmers with contempt, ignoring pleas from groups including Keep the Sheep, Australian Livestock Exporters’ Council, Sheep Producers Australia, WA Shearing Industry Association, Wool Producers Australia and The Livestock Collective, who spent the day at Parliament House in a last-ditch attempt to persuade Senators to save live sheep exports.
“Today is a devastating day for the farming industry in Western Australia and around the entire country,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Farmers now know Labor is willing to sell them out and shut down a successful, world-class trade based on ideology. No amount of reform matters to Labor. It means any future industry, including live cattle, could be next.
“Labor’s sham inquiry into shutting down the trade didn’t even read the thousands of submissions, let alone consider them. Labor has never had the science, reasoning or modelling to back up their decision.
“What kind of Government turns its back on its own farmers? This decision is simply Labor bowing down to animal activists, even though Australia has the world’s best animal welfare standards. It is senseless to remove ourselves from the market, because the Middle East will simply find other markets which don’t have our high animal welfare standards.
“Labor is destroying the livelihoods of 3000 people today, even though Labor was formed on the back of farming, after the 1891 shearers’ strike.
“The Nationals support Keep the Sheep in its plan to now unseat the Labor MPs in two marginal seats in WA, plus campaign in the new seat of Bullwinkle. There is enormous anger across farming communities in WA because our farmers have been treated with contempt. A future Coalition Government will reinstate the live sheep export trade.”
