The House of Representatives approves ban on live sheep exports by sea from 1 May 2028.
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00:00We should be considering the live exports of cattle as well. I acknowledge that live
00:04cattle export market is worth some $1.2 billion in the 2022-23 year, and there are much greater
00:11economic consequences of banning live export of cattle by sea, but the Government should still
00:16consider further what it can do to improve the welfare of cattle being exported overseas by ship.
00:22In many cases, cattle and sheep are transported on the same ships, and in March this year,
00:28more than 100 Australian cattle died on a live export ship to Indonesia,
00:32one of the highest mortality rates ever reported on an Australian live cattle shipment.
00:38The Government should be considering further measures to ensure welfare of live cattle and
00:43all live animal exports to ensure that there isn't the inhumane treatment of animals occurring.
00:50Examples that have been proposed include mandating vets on all cattle shipments,
00:56as recommended by the RSPCA, or installing real-time monitoring systems to track
01:01cattle conditions, such as temperature, humidity and health indicators.
01:06Live cattle exporters should be required to plan optimal routes to reduce stress and health risks
01:14and avoid transport during extreme weather conditions. I will support this bill. It's
01:19a good start, but it's clear there's a lot more work to be done to balance, on one hand,
01:24animal safety and cruelty and the welfare of animals within live export industries,
01:30but particularly the growing and increasing challenge from heat that we are going to see
01:36as the world warms with the climate crisis. On the other hand, I absolutely support
01:41transition packages to ensure communities that are being asked to change can do so
01:46with the support of packages by Government that adequately meet the needs that they face.
01:51Lastly, this bill only deals with live sheep exports. Australia is still exporting over
01:58700,000 live cattle each year, mainly from the Northern Territory to Indonesia. Again,
02:04there have been recorded incidents of appalling conditions in Indonesian abattoirs, which
02:10highlight the difficulties Australia faces in managing animal welfare once livestock leaves
02:16our shores. In my view, we should follow the lead of the United Kingdom and New Zealand
02:21and end the entire live export trade. I commend this bill to the House. Thank you.
02:27I applaud the government for pushing through with this. I know it's not easy.
02:31Yes, I want the ban to be in place sooner, and yes, I do want to shut down the beef cattle export
02:39trade. I do. I'll turn my mind to that now and keep campaigning on that. It is a difficult
02:48policy area for reform, so I will applaud the government.