Western Australia could play a key role in deciding which party wins the next federal election. Despite a landslide win in the state election in March, sheep farmers are hoping voters from all over the country choose the Coalition on May 3rd at the voting booths. Their aim is to overturn legislation that bans live exports of sheep by 2028.
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00:00Good girl!
00:04Like many of Australia's farming communities, the Great Southern Region of Western Australia
00:09has ridden on the sheep's back for a long time.
00:14Our passion is producing food. Basically that is what it comes down to.
00:19All farmers, no matter whether you're grain, beef, lamb, we produce food.
00:24And that's what we do and that's what we love.
00:26Grant and Chrissie Smith produce breeding ewes on a 400 hectare farm in Kojonup.
00:32Although their business isn't dependent on live sheep exports, it's a vital stream of income.
00:38We love doing what we do and we're good at it.
00:41And the thought of that being taken away from us is pretty scary.
00:46We need to make a profit because you can't continue to do something that doesn't make a profit.
00:50And we need every tool in the toolbox to actually do that.
00:53And that's why the more people that we have buying our product, the more competition and the more stability
01:01and the more chance of us making a profit.
01:03Last month hundreds of farmers and their families joined a convoy through Perth to promote their cause.
01:11They're doing it for a very genuine reason. They're not doing it for fun.
01:15They are actually doing it because they are asking for support.
01:18You know, we just want everybody to jump on board and understand that with them we may be able to make a change.
01:28You can have as many as you like.
01:30Keep the Sheep campaigners have been targeting key metropolitan seats.
01:34I live in Perth in the northern suburbs, but I've lived in rural and mining communities for most of my life.
01:41And I really think that we need to support our rural and mining communities here in Western Australia.
01:46Fremantle is the last remaining port to export sheep by sea overseas.
01:52It's also home to the loudest voices of those who don't want to see the trade continue.
01:58Please lift up, keep lifting up your voice.
02:01Anti-live export campaigner Lisa Baker has been pushing for the trade to be banned for more than 40 years.
02:08When you vote, look for who is going to continue this cruel industry and vote with a moral, compassionate view of the world.
02:18In the lead up to the federal election, the former state Labor MP is still rallying to make sure the ban is not overturned.
02:27I'm here because I'm one of the 75% of Australians who recognise that the trade, the live export trade, is cruel and not sustainable for our farming sector.