Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Food, Lachlan Hunter MP, has today condemned the Cook Labor Government’s complete failure to defend Western Australia’s sheep industry, as new reports confirm that not a single live export vessel is scheduled to depart WA for the remainder of the year.
The three-month northern summer moratorium on live sheep exports to the Middle East ended last weekend, a period that would normally be closely followed by multiple ships departing Fremantle Port loaded with livestock.
“Despite the lifting of the northern summer moratorium, the live export industry remains paralysed.” Mr Hunter said.
“The situation stands in stark contrast to previous years, when exporters would quickly resume shipments post-moratorium and a clear signal that the looming Federal Labor ban has already begun dismantling the trade.”
Mr Hunter said the ban had clearly shattered confidence across the entire supply chain, and WA Labor’s silence in the face of federal action, was nothing short of a betrayal to regional WA.
“WA Labor has turned its back on our producers, our exporters, and the regional communities that rely on this trade for jobs and survival.
“Let’s be clear — the Albanese Government’s decision to ban the trade from 2028 is already having devastating impacts today.
“The Cook Government had a choice: stand up for our farmers and fight for the industry or roll over and sell them out. They chose the latter,” he said.
Recent figures show WA’s sheep flock has collapsed from 12.4 million in 2022 to just 8.6 million this year — a staggering decline that producers are directly linking to policy uncertainty and a lack of support from government.
“This is not just about sheep — it’s about people. It’s about truckies, shearers, agents, feed suppliers, and small towns right across WA,” Mr Hunter said.
“It’s about confidence in the future of our livestock sector — and that confidence is now gone.”
Mr Hunter said the Nationals and the Opposition had consistently fought to defend the live sheep trade and would continue to push for proper support, certainty, and a transition process that protects WA’s regional economy.
“Producers deserve answers. They deserve a government that will fight for them — not one that hides behind spin and hopes the issue goes away,” he said.
“What’s happening now is not just a policy failure. It’s a moral failure of leadership.
“WA Labor has gone missing in action, and the consequences are playing out in sale yards and shearing sheds right across our state.”
Mr Hunter urged the Cook Labor Government to break its silence, back the industry, and explain what — if anything — it plans to do to support the thousands of West Australians now caught in the fallout of a ban it failed to oppose.
