May 3, 2018 McGowan must resist Shorten’s attempts to destroy WA’s sheep industry Premier Mark McGowan’s failure to represent the best interests of Western Australia’s agriculture sector is reflected in today’s Federal Labor’s announcement to ban all livestock exports. Shadow Agriculture Minister Ian Blayney said a considered approach was required in addressing the legitimate concerns around the live export trade, of which, Western Australia represents 72% of national exports. “This is yet another example of an eastern-states centric announcement from Federal Labor designed for political purposes rather than in the best interests of farmers or animal welfare,” Mr Blayney said. “The question is – where is Premier McGowan on this issue?” “Western Australia already has the highest unemployment rate in the country with the number of people looking for a job in WA, the highest in the State’s history. “This is because the McGowan Government is unwilling to stand up to Federal Labor, whether it is GST reform, the mining tax, and now, impulsively closing down a WA industry without proper consultation or due consideration. Mr Blayney said today’s announcement mirrors Federal Labor’s devastating decision to ban live cattle exports to Indonesia which was conducted in a similar manner causing long-term damage. “As I have said repeatedly, the scenes of distressed and dying sheep on carriers is extremely concerning, completely unacceptable and needs to be addressed as a priority,” Mr Blayney said. “However it is completely inappropriate for Bill Shorten to make policy-on-the-run that disproportionately and quite severely impacts Western Australia, the nation’s largest exporter. “It is especially inappropriate, considering the Federal Government’s review into live exports is only a matter of weeks away. “This just highlights that Bill Shorten has no interest and no understanding of the WA economy and the jobs that rely on it. “Mark McGowan needs to call on Bill Shorten to take a deep breath and think about the people of Western Australia rather than focusing on a nightly news grab for the east-coast.” Ends |
