Expand drought relief to victims of live export ban, Redman
Author: Terry Redman
Published on: 10-June-2011
The Federal Government should immediately expand Centrelink support, equivalent to that offered under the Drought Pilot, to all cattle producers affected by the Federal Government’s snap ban on the live export trade to Indonesia, the State Government said today.
Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman said he had sent an urgent letter to the Federal Government seeking the immediate expansion of assistance. Mr Redman warned that Labor’s decision would lead to an escalation in hardship for many families across regional Western Australia.
“The WA Government is very concerned about the well-being of people directly affected by the live cattle export suspension - our experience is that family and personal well-being will rapidly become a major issue,” Mr Redman said.
The Minister again condemned the Federal Government for its lazy and knee-jerk response to the live cattle trade.
“The Federal Labor Government has not put iota of thought into the financial implications, the human implications or the long-term animal welfare implications of this decision,” he said.
Mr Redman said the Federal Government had a moral duty to immediately offer compensation and assistance.
“This has been a lazy decision - in the past when the Federal Government has made decisions to close or suspend industries, whether it has been logging in forests or fishing in certain waters, there have been compensation packages and employment packages put on the table at the very same time any ban was announced. This hasn’t happened this time, and Western Australians are suffering once again because of laziness and incompetence from the Federal Government,” he said.
In his letter to the Federal Government, Mr Redman also sought urgent clarification as to what specific standards will have to be met to enable live cattle exports to recommence to Indonesia.
“Currently, the situation appears akin to asking industry to present a piece of string but not telling them how long it needs to be. The Federal Government continues to talk about six months as the time frame for the ban which I think will destroy the live cattle export industry and suggests that there is no urgency to reopen the market,” he said.
