Agriculture Minister Julie Collins advised to tell sheep farmers export ban ‘will not be revisited’

The Federal Agriculture Department advised new minister Julie Collins to tell farmers campaigning to save the live sheep export trade the matter was “settled” and the shutdown would not be “revisited”, secret documents reveal. Keep the Sheep campaigners have rubbished the advice, declaring Labor was in “fantasy land” if it believed the fight was over. The advice has emerged as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the $107 million transition package wasn’t intended to replace revenue from live exports but to make sure farmers could pivot their businesses to capitalise on new opportunities. Ms Collins was put in charge of overseeing Labor’s controversial live sheep export shutdown after a cabinet reshuffle shifted the Tasmanian into the agriculture portfolio — a role she held in opposition. The grassroots fight to save the trade did not end when laws to lock in a May 2028 end date passed Federal Parliament in July, with the cashed-up Keep the Sheep campaign turning their focus to blasting Labor out of power. The Opposition has promised to repeal the ban if it wins the next election. In briefing documents prepared for the newly-installed minister, obtained by The West under freedom of information, the department acknowledged the live export ban was a “polarising issue” in the agriculture industry. It went on to advise Ms Collins on how to communicate the Government’s stance. “We recommend that the key message for you to convey to all stakeholders is that the policy is now settled by the Government and that it will not be revisited,” the brief stated. “With this certainty of government policy and four years of lead time, you could confirm that you wish to work with people impacted to access the transition package so that individuals can make decisions appropriate to their circumstances.” Asked to respond to the department’s advice, Keep the Sheep spokesman Ben Sutherland told The West: “No, this policy is far from settled”. “Farmers, truckies, agriculture workers and regional people are now left with a single choice: to campaign against bad policy at election time,” Mr Sutherland said. “If the Government thinks it can dispose of our livelihoods and then declare it all done and dusted, they are very wrong. “The Minister and Albo are living in fantasy land if they think this is settled.” The campaign will target Canberra next Tuesday, with WA sheep farmers planning to descend on the lawns outside Parliament House as part of a “National Farmer Rally”. Mr Albanese has defended the Government’s position in multiple media appearances during his WA cabinet roadshow, insisting Labor had a clear mandate to end the trade after taking the policy to the past two elections. “It’s now gone through the House of Representatives and the Senate, and I can’t see any future government overturning that decision,” the prime minister told ABC Perth. The Government’s attention has shifted to rolling out a $107 million transition package, which includes $64.6 million to help producers capitalise on the booming sheep meat trade. The WA Government and industry continue to push for more support, with WA’s peak agriculture groups lobbying for up to $300 million. In an exclusive interview with The West, Mr Albanese said the package was about setting the industry up for the future. “If there are practical proposals, you know, we’re up for those discussions, but we want to provide the assistance for communities,” he said. “We understand that transitioning can be hard and change can be hard, and we want to help people with that, not leave people or communities behind.”