Hidden in the Gillard government’s budget papers is a line referring to a class action by live exporters and producers, for amounts reported to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, over the all-too-short short ban of cattle exports to Indonesia.

Suzanne Cass, from Live Export Shame Tasmania commented:

‘These are the people who largely failed to take up the compensation packages at the time, thus failing to mitigate their own losses. One of the law firms representing these people is Minter Ellison.

‘84% of decent, hardworking Australians have spoken out against this brutal trade, yet we face the prospect of even more of our tax dollars being spent. Two industry focussed enquiries contributed much to producer and exporter welfare and nothing to safeguard a single animal. Indeed, the all too short ban on Indonesia has resulted in animals being sent on far longer journeys to worse destinations’.

Ms Cass said that all the ban on the trade to Indonesia achieved was sending animals on far longer voyages, to arguably worse destinations such as Turkey. Voyages on the 20+ year old ships to Turkey can take up to 41 days, while it is well settled that animals sent from southern ports in Australia in the winter on lengthy, multi-port journeys are at substantially higher risk from salmonellosis, inanition, heat exhaustion, pneumonia and other trauma. Ms Cass also notes that several voyages which have been the subject or mortality investigations had no veterinarian on board, limiting the conclusions that could be drawn into the deaths of the animals.

‘If nothing else, this mooted class action proves beyond any doubt that these people knew, and always have known, the torture to which they were sending their animals, but still couldn’t wait to send of the shiploads of wretched animal misery anyway, Ms Cass continued. ‘All Australian businesses have to operate within frameworks of community expectations, government policy changes, and indeed, standards of basic common decency. What makes these parasites any different?

Ms Cass is organising a candlelight vigil following the anniversary of the ‘Four Corners’ program ‘A Bloody Business’, on Saturday, June 2 between 6.00p.m. and 7.00p.m. on the Parliament Lawns. A Facebook ‘event’ will be created.
Suzanne Cass Live Export Shame Tasmania Stop Tasmanian Animal Cruelty