Sky News, Sunday 20 May 2018:
Greens MP Adam Bandt has
told Sky News there may be the numbers in federal parliament to pass a private
members bill that will ban live sheep exports. Liberal backbencher Sussan Ley
will introduce a private members bill to parliament next week that, if passed,
would see the live sheep export trade phased out.
The bill has the support of
three Liberal MPs, Labor and the Greens. Mr Bandt says there’s a 'real
prospect' the bill could pass the parliament within the next month.
ABC News, Monday 21 May 2018:
Support for shutting
down the live sheep export trade is gaining ground, with Labor set to formally
endorse the proposal this week.
Liberal MP Sussan Ley
will today introduce a private member's bill that would ban live sheep exports
to the Middle East during the northern hemisphere summer months in 2019 and
entirely close the sector down in five years.
"This has been a
trade marked by disaster following debacle and that's gone on for 33 years,
it's had a very sad history, a very dismal history," she said.
Shadow Agriculture
Minister Joel Fitzgibbon told AM Labor will lock in its support for what will
be known as the Live Sheep Long Haul Export Prohibition Bill.
"I will certainly
be recommending to both the shadow cabinet and to the party room this week that
we support the bill," he told AM.
"I have no doubt
that the bill reflects the view of the broader Labor Party and on that basis
I'm very confident that the party room will embrace the bill."
Labor's support
drastically increases Ms Ley's chances of securing the numbers to debate the
bill in the House of Representatives.
She already has the
backing of Liberal colleagues Sarah Henderson and Jason Wood, and believes the
numbers will increase.
"I've had
conversations with two or three that … are very supportive. I will leave it up
to them about when they talk about their support and to what degree they might
get behind this bill," she said.
But her hopes of
securing Ian Goodenough's support, who indicated an interest in the bill, have
fallen through.
"After considering
all the factors I have decided to initially back the Government position on the
McCarthy Review to implement a series of changes," he said.
Live Sheep Long Haul
Export Prohibition Bill 2018,
Explanatory Memorandum, excerpt:
OUTLINE
The Live Sheep Long Haul
Export Prohibition Bill 2018 amends the Export Control Act 1982, the Australian
Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997 and the Export Control Act 2018. The Bill
introduces provisions which will restrict the long haul export of live sheep
and lambs during the northern summer months of July, August or September in a
five year transitional period, or at any time after that period, where the
voyage is by ship and of duration exceeding ten days, and where a place in that
voyage, regardless of whether that place is the final destination, is either
the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea.
It is expected Prime Minister and Liberal MP for Wentworth Malcolm Bligh Turnbull and Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals MP for Riverina Michael McCormack will use their numbers to quash this bill.
With the bill joining the Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011
(Adam Bandt MP), Live Animal Export (Slaughter) Prohibition Bill 2011 [No.
2] (Senator Rachael Seiwert) and Live Animal Export Restriction and Prohibition Bill 2011
(Andrew Wilkie MP) in the Australian parliamentary achives.
Unless.....
Enough ordinary Australian citizens contact their federal members of parliament this week by email and tell them they will lose their vote at the forthcoming federal election if the MP doesn't vote in support of this bill.
There are currently 150 members of the House of Representatives and 76 senators so get cracking,
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