The Independent Member for Denison, Andrew Wilkie, warned Prime Minister Kevin Rudd that any attempt to increase live cattle exports to Indonesia would cause a voter backlash.
Mr Wilkie was concerned by reports that Mr Rudd plans to discuss increasing live cattle exports with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta on Friday.
“Increasing cattle exports to Indonesia will increase the cruelty,” Mr Wilkie said.
“Voters have made it very clear that they are sick and tired of the Government allowing such brutal treatment of Australian animals.
“The fact is that the live animal export industry is systemically cruel, with revelations just in the last two years extending to countries as diverse as Israel, Turkey, Kuwait, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia.
“Mr Rudd would be better placed working with President Yudhoyono to create a timeline to end Australia’s systemically cruel livestock export industry.
“Moreover the industry has cannibalised the Australian processed meat industry and cost thousands of jobs.
“Indonesia plans to move towards red meat self-sufficiency. We should be creating jobs and growing the economy by developing domestic meat processing capacity in Northern Australia, not increasing our reliance on an export market with such an uncertain future.”
