❓ A WA parliamentary question regarding the impact of the federal government's suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia, focusing on the ongoing issues and the state government's response. The Minister expresses concern over the long-term effects and the slow recovery of the industry.
AnsweredQoN 423Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
LIVE CATTLE TRADE SUSPENSION
I was pleased to see that the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia was lifted on 6 July. However, it remains the case that more than a month later there are still serious and ongoing issues. All members on this side of the house appreciate that significant damage has been done to this vital industry. I praise the efforts of the state government for working so hard with affected pastoralists and other stakeholders to help them get back to work. I see now that the commonwealth government has announced that more money will be spent to buy its way out of this disastrous situation. Can the minister please inform the house of the projections for cattle exports now that the trade has resumed? Mr D.T. REDMAN
I was pleased to see that the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia was lifted on 6 July. However, it remains the case that more than a month later there are still serious and ongoing issues. All members on this side of the house appreciate that significant damage has been done to this vital industry. I praise the efforts of the state government for working so hard with affected pastoralists and other stakeholders to help them get back to work. I see now that the commonwealth government has announced that more money will be spent to buy its way out of this disastrous situation. Can the minister please inform the house of the projections for cattle exports now that the trade has resumed? Mr D.T. REDMAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and obviously for his ongoing interest. He will be all too well aware of the long-term impact of this knee-jerk, inappropriate response by the federal government to the issues with the live cattle trade into Indonesia. One thing that the public needs to understand is that despite the ban being lifted about a month or so ago, it does not mean that everything is back to normal. Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and obviously for his ongoing interest. He will be all too well aware of the long-term impact of this knee-jerk, inappropriate response by the federal government to the issues with the live cattle trade into Indonesia. One thing that the public needs to understand is that despite the ban being lifted about a month or so ago, it does not mean that everything is back to normal. Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and obviously for his ongoing interest. He will be all too well aware of the long-term impact of this knee-jerk, inappropriate response by the federal government to the issues with the live cattle trade into Indonesia. One thing that the public needs to understand is that despite the ban being lifted about a month or so ago, it does not mean that everything is back to normal. Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr D.T. REDMAN replied: I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and obviously for his ongoing interest. He will be all too well aware of the long-term impact of this knee-jerk, inappropriate response by the federal government to the issues with the live cattle trade into Indonesia. One thing that the public needs to understand is that despite the ban being lifted about a month or so ago, it does not mean that everything is back to normal. Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
I thank the member for Geraldton for the question and obviously for his ongoing interest. He will be all too well aware of the long-term impact of this knee-jerk, inappropriate response by the federal government to the issues with the live cattle trade into Indonesia. One thing that the public needs to understand is that despite the ban being lifted about a month or so ago, it does not mean that everything is back to normal. Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr E.S. Ripper : No, there are still impacts. Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Mr D.T. REDMAN : There are significant impacts, and impacts that will last for some time. The other thing that is important to note is that the pastoralists with the cattle herds in northern Western Australia cannot simply flick the breeding cycles on and off. It takes time to shut down and to stock an industry such as that, and it takes considerably more time to start it up. So they are not in a position to respond very quickly to these sorts of decisions by the federal government. Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Given that the ban has been lifted, it is certainly pleasing that there is some progress now to have some of the assured supply chains supported, with stock going into Indonesia. I am hopeful that within the next week or so we will see some stock resume on that pathway to Indonesia. But we also need to understand that in the approved supply chains, we expect the slaughter rates in Indonesia to resume at about 190 head a day, or about 10 per cent of the former capacity, so that gives us an idea of the impact of the decision. Even if the ban is lifted and the trade starts up again, we are looking at a starting point of 10 per cent of where it was before, which is a significant shift. Even when we get some further supply chain assurance as we progress the ramping up of the trade, with the work that is being done between Australia and Indonesia, we are looking at 870 head a day, which is getting up to about half the former capacity. Again, we see that there will be a significant imposition on the trade arrangements out of the northern part of Australia that existed previously and, indeed, significant impacts on Western Australia. We expect that something like 200 000 head have been displaced by the decision to ban live cattle exports into the Indonesian market. Those cattle will have to go into other market options. They will have to be sold into other export markets, perhaps retained on station, or even sold to other farms or feedlots in other regions of Australia. Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
Yes, as the member says, there has been an announcement. I saw it in the paper today. In fact, I took a call from Hon Joe Ludwig at seven o’clock this morning to give me the heads-up that there was something in The Australian today. There is an assistance package of some $70 million, which equates to about 333 loans of $300 000. They are low or no-interest loans, as I understand it, which is certainly welcome assistance. But, of course, we understand that that does not get the trade back; it does not get back the strong trade relationship that we had with Indonesia prior to the knee-jerk response of the federal government. It is up to the exporters now to get that supply chain assurance in place. I am expecting that the federal government will respond quickly to the exporters that are able to demonstrate to it a pathway into that market. We are certainly keeping pressure on the federal government to achieve that end. I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
I also highlight the strong support that we have received from, and acknowledge the outstanding work done by, our trade office in Jakarta. We have nine trade offices around the world, and they do a fantastic job. Certainly, on this issue they have been very responsive. They have understood the Indonesian market; they are the conduit to getting to the Indonesian government and also to Indonesian industry, such that we understand the issues there. We are also represented on the task force that is looking at the impacts of this suspension on the region to ensure that we, as a state government, respond appropriately and also do what we can to get trade established with Indonesia, because this issue is not going to go away in the next week, and it is not going to go away in the next month. In my opinion, it will last for well over 12 months or two years.
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