Kimberley Caines: WA sheep producers need clarity

More than 3000 West Australians have started 2024 with no clue about where their industry is heading.

Their livelihoods are in the hands of the Albanese Government, which is yet to release a report suggesting how and when the live sheep export trade should be shut down.

WA farmers are against the policy.

Federal Labor insists it is sticking to its election promise.

An independent panel was appointed by the Commonwealth last year to hold forums with the public, have meetings with stakeholders and industry, go through submissions made and put its findings together in a report.

But at the same time as paying the four panellists nearly $1 million combined for their services over 10 months, taxpayer money was also being used on other independent consultants to debunk industry research.

The Government hired Pegasus Economics for almost $50,000 to review live sheep export studies, despite it having done reports for animal activist groups on many occasions before.

In documents released under Freedom of Information laws, Pegasus Economics director Alistair Davey asked whether his company should review its own previous reports, admitting they were “far from perfect”.

Labor also tasked another consultancy firm, Episode 3, which is against the phase-out policy, to provide writing services and advice to help the panel put its own report together but with a condition not to include words and commentary that would imply a course of action to take.

This cost more than $50,000.

It seems like a very unusual use of taxpayer money when the panel was hired to do the consultancy work, which could’ve extended to leaning on Government agencies for information.

Farmers are at the centre of all of this and it’s time the Government makes it right for WA by putting politics and wasted money aside to release its plan on phasing out the trade.