With yet another horrific live export scandal still making news around Australia, the AMIEU is greatly pleased to see more Australian politicians standing up for animal welfare and for local jobs by calling for an end to the live export industry.
The AMIEU particularly extends our congratulations to members of the Greens such as Senators Lee Rhiannon and Andrew Bartlett, as well as independent Senator Derryn Hinch, all of whom have signaled their intention to move or support bills that would end this cruel trade.
Of course, one politician in particular has come out against a live export ban – disgraced former Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce.
Speaking to the Northern Daily Leader, Joyce commented that he was “sick of hearing people say the solution is to close something down when something bad happens,” and that the correct response was to “sit back and think about it.”
It is telling that after thirty years of live export scandals, Barnaby Joyce still wants to sit on his hands and hope the industry can regulate itself.
The live export industry has been subject to more than thirty years of countless reviews, countless regulatory increases, and countless, horrifying scandals – and nothing has changed. How much longer does Barnaby Joyce want to “think about it”?
“Barnaby Joyce is the local member for Tamworth – Australia’s largest multi-species meat processing hub, with major abattoirs for beef and sheep, right in his home town,” said AMIEU Newcastle & Northern NSW Secretary Grant Courtney.
“You would think that someone with so many struggling meat workers in his local area, and who claims to be a champion for rural Australia, might be more concerned about keeping Australian livestock in Australia for local workers to process, rather than sending them offshore.”
Barnaby Joyce is a committed supporter of live exports, and his contempt for what he sees as “disgusting” meat work is well known.
Even after seeing footage of sheep which have been literally boiled to death by the heat on the overcrowded ships – so that the carcasses fall apart as crew members try to pick them up – Barnaby Joyce still thinks this is an industry that needs more time to sort itself out.
In 2016, the AMIEU exposed that Barnaby Joyce and his family were receiving free flights all around Australia courtesy of Stanbroke, one of the country’s largest live export suppliers.
Joyce is also an extremely close friend of people like Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest woman and someone heavily invested in live exports – who also donated $50,000 to his re-election campaign. Perhaps his support for live exports, even after thirty years of endless scandals, isn’t so surprising after all?
“The Australian public won’t be hoodwinked any longer. The AMIEU is calling on Barnaby Joyce to quietly retire out of the public eye and take his outdated, out of touch views with him,” added Secretary Courtney.
“Maybe if Mr. Joyce was more concerned with the welfare of his local community, instead of lining the pockets of big agricultural companies, Tamworth wouldn’t be struggling under a youth unemployment rate which is double the national average.”
More information:
Grant Courtney
Secretary
AMIEU Newcastle & Northern NSW
PH: (02) 4929 5496
amieu@meatworker.com.au