Question regarding the delay in introducing trespass legislation to protect WA farmers from animal activists, following renewed threats after the Al Kuwait incident. The Premier cites COVID-19 resource allocation as a factor in the delay and highlights the need to balance farmer protection with inspection regimes.

AnsweredQoN 401Legislative Assembly
Asked
28 May 2020
Portfolio
Premier

QuestionView source ↗

ANIMAL ACTIVISM —
LEGISLATION
401. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Premier:
I refer to the commitment made by
the Attorney General over a year ago now to introduce restraining order
legislation against people he described as mushy-headed vegans; we usually
describe them as people who trespass on agricultural land, irrespective of what
they choose to eat. Based on that, where is the government's trespass
legislation to protect Western Australian farmers, given the renewed threats
from animal activists following the recent Al Kuwait debacle?

AnswerView source ↗

The government is still finalising
the drafting of the legislation. It has not been easy, particularly because a lot
of drafting resources have been removed from business-as-usual projects and put
towards COVID-19-related projects over the last three or four months. As I understand
it, the Attorney General is finalising the legislation. As I have indicated to
the house, it has to strike a balance between ensuring we provide protection to
farmers across Western Australia and also ensuring that an inspection regime is
in place in intensive production areas, such as piggeries and the like.

Explore WA Government Data

Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.

Explore more