A group of passionate Tasmanians who continue to feel despair over the Federal Government’s inaction over the cruel live export trade are rallying on Saturday, March 24 to make their feelings known to uncaring politicians. The rally will begin at the Regatta showgrounds in Hobart at 10am, and move to Parliament Lawns.
The organiser of the rally, Emma Bennett, has never organised such an event before, and said ‘Enough is enough’.
‘We have seen exposure over a decade of the appalling treatment of animals in all destination countries, especially the Middle East and Indonesia. Just last month, it was clearly shown that the Government’s new regulatory regime is an abject failure, for the second time in Indonesia’.
The Federal Government has yet to send investigators to Indonesia after the evidence of continuing abuse of Australian cattle in Indonesian slaughterhouses just last month, claiming it is carrying out a ‘desktop review’. Campaigners against the trade regard this dereliction of duty as a cynical delay whilst exporters await advice about Indonesian import quotas.
‘Over the last decade, it has been left to Animals Australia to expose the horrific animal abuse in these countries’, continued Ms Bennett. ‘The government has claimed that the lowest common denominator’ OIE codes are to apply to importing countries, yet those codes are not even implemented before the animals even leave Australia. Tens of thousands of animals die on the ships, and sadly, they are the lucky ones’.
Present at the rally will be Andrew Wilkie, Independent Member for Denison and Greens MP for Bass, Kim Booth, both consistent opponents of the trade. Ms Bennett is hoping for strong support for the Tasmanian community to send a powerful message to the rest of the Tasmanian Federal MPs that their votes count, and they will not vote for anyone who does not support a complete and immediate ban on live exports.
‘It is long past time that they listened to their constituents, and put the interests of the suffering of the animals ahead of their own political self interest’, Ms Bennett concluded.
When – Saturday 24th March, 10am
Where – Regatta showgrounds to Parliament Lawns, Hobart
