So Live Export. In one or two internet exchanges going back quite a few years, one staunch defender of the Minister for Agriculture Alannah Mc Tiernan MLC, claimed the minister was pro Live Export. So too was Darren West MLC. That Pro Ag "lobbyist" and his/her small group kinda slipped up on twitter which begged the question...
Going back, before Darren West's disgraceful Twitter comments that led to public pressure on Labor Premier Mark McGowan which of course led to Darren West MLC deleting his account we asked him...
So there's no confusion here. "
It means 100% processed by Australians."
That's what they meant by transiton. Not PARTIAL transition but "
100%"
Now despite that, the Ag Lobbyist still seemed very happy to be an Apologist for Labor, for the Ag Minister & for Darren West. So what the heck, way back then we asked the supposedly Pro Ag Lobbyist again...and yes we blotted out his/her name.
Well we then didn't agree whatsoever, not one bit, despite the blaring, glaring obvious.
We let it slide and we monitored the results at all the following of succesive WALabor State Conferences.
Now the reason we checked again and type all this out is pretty simple. At the end of the 2021 Parliament, WALabor presented a Bill to the Lower House. Instead of tabling it for the customary 3 weeks so all MPs could read it and get across it before debating, it was presented & debated
THE SAME DAY!!
Debate time was restricted and all calls for referring it to a Parliamentary Committee were denied. All amendments by the opposition were denied. If that wasn't bad enough, many of the stakeholders were not happy. Not Agricultural & Pastrolists and not Indigineous stakeholders.
250 pages with 300 plus clauses, dropped and debated and then pushed through with the least accountibility and scrutiny.
So things are being rammed through with the least possible scrutiny with WALabor controlling both houses.
If ever WALabor was going to stick to it's State Plaform that BEEN CONSTANT since March 2017 it will be soon. So...
Well here it is...from the document now on WALabor Party's website. Yes it's dated the 2019 Party Platform, but it includes all updates from each WALabor State Conference since then
Here's Live Export from page 49 (of 146)...
Live Export
66.
WA Labor recognises that:
a. There are strong economic, jobs and animal
welfare reasons for transitioning from the
live export trade to domestic processing of
animals for local consumption and the chilled
and frozen meat trade; and
b. While the live export trade continues, livestock
for slaughter from Australia will be treated
humanely while being transported and in the
country of destination
So just looking at that...is WALabor Pro Live Export or is it's actual plan to shut it down completely?
Well section a) actually clearly states " reasons for transitioning from the live export trade to domestic processing of animals" -
If you're transitioning from one thing to the another thing you are not trying to promote both, one is going to be abolished. How could anyone read that any differently?
Section b) clearly says "While the live export trade continues..." -
While it continues clearly infers & implies without any confusion that at a planned point it is NOT continuing anymore, that is the actual plan. How could anyone read that any differently?
Next...
67. To this end, WA Labor will ensure:
a. WA animal welfare laws are enforced in
respect to the shipping of livestock;
b. Require that livestock be transported,
unloaded, held and slaughtered in accordance
with the OIE Guidelines and stunned using
appropriate humane restraints immediately
before slaughter, and that there will be
independent monitoring and enforcement of
these standards
Yeah, OK, that's already in place, but your aim is to abolish it forever even though its what's actually holding the market price up. Farmgate prices will plummet if its abolish and WALabor will have to subsidise the cost of processing for the producers to make the same return per kilo. The Productivity Commission's Report into The Cost of Doing Business in Australia has the Labor component roughly average just a hair below 50% of the cost of production. We don't pay the kill & processing costs in Live Export. So that's zero. Once it happens to appear thanks to abolition expect meat to rise 50% in production costs. I don't think overseas markets that prefer Live will take a differently product that is many times more costly than their usual live. Who pays? Government subsidies to producers or processors or both so we can produce a financially unsustainable product the market largely won't buy?
c. Ensure adequate transitional arrangements are
in place to facilitate the expansion of a chilled
and frozen meat trade
Government will ensure there's adequate transition? Is that privately owned & operated or government run, funded & controlled. Very little of that will be required because sadly the entire red meat market will collapse and the majority of the Pastoral Country will shut down. That will cause one of the biggest ecological disasters in WA's history. Pastoral & rangeland country will become unviable, people will either go broke, walk off the land or both leaving Landcare in the bin. Not smart Labor.
d. Develop and implement an alternative and
sustainable economic base for the pastoral
industry in the north of WA;
Unless you open a mine on each station & every single farm, there will be nothing left as a financially viable alternative. We know this, there is little or no alternative now & Pastoralists, station operators know their country. If there was another income stream they'll have done it, or will do it. But making scones and waiting for the tourist buses it patently stupid and moronic. It cannot replace the landcare work that the livestock actually do whilst grazing. It will be finished and all pastoral land will fall into disrepair & no feral control or property infrastructure will be maintain. All the wheat/sheep country will fold or go full cropping...if they're able to.
Take Live Export away, you kill the regions and the local towns in one fell swoop. The stupidity is breathtaking & staggering.
e. Work with the Commonwealth government, industry and importing countries to promote
the trade in chilled meat from animals
humanely transported and slaughtered in
Australia;
Yeah, do that but do that without touching Live Export, without abolishing it. Let the market decide. Do not let a city based party run by city based Unions with dwindling member numbers decide - Their membership has gone from 46% in 1986 down to 14% in 2020. Of those falling numbers the biggest sectors are Education and training (31%), Public administration and safety (28%) & Health care and social assistance (24%). Those 3 groups make up 83% of unions which total 13% of workers in WA...and they're the ones deciding to abolish Australian Live Export which financially holds up the entire Red Meat Sectors Farmgate Price and is World Leading Best Standard (depsite staged paid photos aboard ships)
No thanks. Their extremely high paid leaders need more members to earn their 6 figure salaries. They wrongly think killing Live Export will deliver more union members
f. Pursue, as part of trade negotiations, the
elimination of policies of foreign governments,
such as subsidies and tariffs, that distort
competitive neutrality between the meat
processing and the live export industries; and
Where do these exist, which countries and who recieves them? You want to stop un-named subsidies that must be going to foreign importers & processors, not to WA Primary Producers, you wish to abolish Live Export and not subsidise the replacement industry that won't last a few weeks? Why would you stop foreign governments that want to subsidise the importation of our product?
If it actually exists and I'll await proof.
Stump it up Minister McTiernan & Hon Darren West.
g. Promote Australian chilled and frozen meat
in potential new markets through intensive
international promotional campaigns, such as
the emerging markets in China.
Go for it, but at the same time promote the Live Export as well, because without it the export chilled product will not be able to sustainably replace the entire live export. The balance and the competition that holds the market place price up will be destroyed. We will return to the result the destruction of the Wool Industry brought us. Livestock will be worthless, there will be wholesale slaughter of livestock.
I don't believe many of Teachers, Admin & Safety Workers or the Healthcare & Social Assistence Union members were involved in the horrible Flock Reduction Scheme. I was there, I remember it. I know exactly how many entirely worthless sheep I destroyed and how some people delivered them to market and they were sent a bill to have them taken away and destoryed.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE ->
IT IS CLEAR. IF ANYONE TELLS YOU LABOR IS PRO LIVE EXPORT AND RETAINING THE SHEEP FLOCK & CATTLE HERD IN WA WHILST PROTECTING THE LAND CARE BENEFITS IN VAST REMOTE AREAS DO NOT BELIEVE IT. IT IS A LIE.
IF ANYONE TELLS YOU ALANNAH McTIERNAN & DARREN WEST ARE PRO LIVE EXPORT, DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR, CALL THEM OUT, CALL THEM A LIAR. BECAUSE UNLESS THEY'RE GOING AGAINST THEIR OWN PARTY PLATFORM WHICH IS AKIN TO CROSSING THE FLOOR & RESULT IN THEIR EXPULSION FROM THE PARTY THEY STILL WANT & PLAN TO BAN LIVE EXPORT
SO, WELL YEAH, I CALL BULLDUST. SO SHOULD YOU.
IN FACT SAVING THE STATE FROM A MOMUNMENTAL FINANCIAL DISASTER IS SERIOUSLY UP TO YOU.
YOU HAVE TO ACT...
DO NOT RELAX, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MP, GET A WRITTEN COMMITTMENT THAT THEY WILL SUPPORT LIVE EXPORT AND OPPOSE THE WALABOR STATE PLATFORM & ANY EFFORTS TO BAN LIVE EXPORTS - IF YOU GET A TACTIAL REPLY INSTEAD OF A PROPER ANSWER, THEY WANT TO BAN LIVE EXPORT.
LOOK FOR A VERY CLEAR SUCCINCT COMMITTMENT TO OPPOSING BANNING LIVE EXPORT.
IT'S STILL ON, ITS STILL COMING
AND IT'S COMING BEFORE THE NEXT ELECTION
Sources -
WALabor Party State Platform - 2019walabor_platform.pdf
Union Membership Numbers in WA & Industry Spread - Trade union membership, August 2020 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)
Flashback...2019
