Nationals Leader David Littleproud has labelled the Prime Minister “completely out of touch” following his hurtful comments about live sheep exports at an agricultural awards night.
Anthony Albanese shocked the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award gala dinner at Parliament House when he said he’d dined earlier with the Indonesian President-Elect earlier.
The Prime Minister stated: “when we had dinner, beautiful Australian beef, not the live export, we made sure it was dead.”
Mr Littleproud said he had been contacted by farmers across the country, including campaigners from Keep the Sheep, who are extremely upset by the comment.
“Why the Prime Minister would choose the AgriFutures awards – a night celebrating our agriculture industry – to mock the phase out of the live sheep industry is beyond me,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Farmers were already planning a rally outside Parliament House on September 10 to highlight the contempt they have been shown by Labor. The Prime Minister’s comments only reiterate how let down and betrayed our farmers feel and if anything, farmers will now be even more encouraged and energised to join the rally.
“The Nationals will be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our farmers at the Parliament House Keep the Sheep rally, because we support our farmers and our live sheep export industry.”
WA Livestock and Rural Transporters president and Keep the Sheep spokesperson Ben Sutherland said he felt betrayed and hurt.
“I am disgusted to the core,” Mr Sutherland said.
“Labor throws rural communities into the wind and continually keeps laughing about it. It’s no joke. In my eyes it’s quite scary to have a government that doesn’t care about regional Australia.
“We feel betrayed. The Prime Minister is not listening to rural Australia, he is taking us for granted. He has got no concept of what he is doing to rural Australia. He is destroying industries and lives and livelihoods, with no real consequence or guilt of his own conscious.”
Australia Livestock Exporters’ Council CEO Mark Harvey-Sutton said the Prime Minister’s comments show he doesn’t understand the industry.
“For the Prime Minister to be making light of the demise of live exports at a rural industry dinner, mere weeks after passing the devastating live sheep ban, shows an astounding lack of judgement and complete disregard for rural Australia and the families that are hurting as a result of their government’s poor decisions,” Mr Harvey-Sutton said.
Mr Littleproud pointed out the Prime Minister’s released speech was at odds with what he actually said and the Prime Minister also told the audience the agricultural industry is “so important for the relationship with Indonesia”.
“It’s shameless the Prime Minister can mock the phase out of the live sheep export trade and in the next breath, declare how important agriculture is,” Mr Littleproud said.
“Labor is still unable to explain the science behind closing the industry because Labor’s phase out decision is based on ideology.”
