WA voters could play a key role in deciding which party wins the federal election. Despite a landslide win to Labor in the March state election, sheep farmers are hoping voters choose the Coalition next Saturday. With the intention to overturn legislation banning live exports of sheep in three-years’ time. In the Great Southern, one farming couple are making their own plea, asking people to think about the role a farmer plays in your life every day.
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00:00For years, Chrissie and Grant Smith have been sheep farmers, producing breeding ewes on
00:08their farm in the Great Southern.
00:09Our passion is producing food, you know, basically that is what it comes down to.
00:14All farmers, no matter whether you're grain, beef, lamb, we produce food and that's what
00:19we do and that's what we love.
00:21The couple are one of the many in Western Australia bracing for the 2028 phase out of
00:26the live exports of sheep by sea.
00:28We love doing what we do and we're good at it and, you know, the thought of that being
00:33taken away from us is, yeah, pretty scary.
00:37Last month the couple posted on social media explaining the broader impact of the ban.
00:42I made a three sentence comment in regards to the banning of the live sheep export.
00:49The post highlighted how many times you rely on a farmer each day.
00:53Open your fridge and actually have a look and to me that is education.
00:57If you asked a child where do you get your meat from and they would say the supermarket.
01:01We're days out from Australia's federal election and both sides of the live export
01:06debate are making one final push before we head to the polls next Saturday.
01:12So we're getting to the pointy end now.
01:14We're in the last quarter.
01:15Keep the sheep campaigners have been targeting key metropolitan and semi-rural seats.
01:20We've got people driving hundreds of kilometres to talk to their city friends and plead with
01:26them to make a difference at the polling booth.
01:29Despite the legislation to ban live sheep exports being passed through both houses of parliament
01:34government in 2024, anti-export campaigners are still spreading their message.
01:40This is law.
01:41We are going to see this export trade finish by 28 and I'm so grateful for that and that's
01:46what the Australian public wanted.
01:48What we're facing is quite bizarre pushback from the national and liberal parties into the
01:53campaign for the federal election.
01:55It's threatening to overturn it.
01:57It hasn't even started yet.
02:00Both sides are pleading with the public to take their argument into consideration when
02:04you vote on May the 3rd.