Senator FURNER (Queensland) (16:48): I rise today to make a contribution to Senator Siewert's matter of public importance on the live export trade as well. I reflect on some of the parts in Senator Williams' contribution on this subject as well as the matter in the media after the Four Corners program on this particular issue. No doubt people were alarmed seeing the treatment of those animals in some of those abattoirs over in Indonesia. Senator Williams: I was! Senator FURNER: I am sure you were. I was as well. My memory is that was aired during estimates and I had to watch it on a downloaded stream later. It shocked me and it shocked many Australians and that is why this is so topical in the media, and this is why this Gillard government has acted decisively and accepted all of the recommendations of the Farmer review on this issue. If you look at those recommendations, you could summarise it in two points: (1) the way animals are handled and the way animal welfare is handled in respect of the live export trade—that is heart of this particular issue; and (2) jobs. This important point, and Senator Williams and Senator Faulkner also touched on this, is about jobs in regional Australia, jobs and the communities in those areas. I can reflect on that quite easily, being a Queenslander and having been up in the cape on numerous occasions and seeing the extent of jobs in that area. Senator Ian Macdonald: You couldn't have been there recently, they would've lynched you. Senator FURNER: I will take that interjection because the senator opposite supports a Premier who is out of control in Queensland, sacking public servants—it was 20,000 public servants and now they have brought it down to 15,000 public servants. We need jobs in Queensland. We do not need a Premier who is out there sacking workers and reducing standards and conditions in our wonderful state of Queensland. This is why this particular subject is extremely important and why we need to make sure the jobs in the live export trade up in that region are protected. The Farmer review also allowed the exporter supply chain assurance system to be extended to the second tranche of Australian livestock export markets from 1 September. The system will be implemented in Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the UAE. The government's reforms will now apply to 99 per cent of the Australian livestock export trade. Therefore, we know there are guarantees around to ensure that the welfare of animals is protected in respect of those particular countries and in particular the trade. We know also that the jobs and the livelihoods of those people who rely upon those exports are protected as well. We have introduced reforms that pick up all of the essential matters that were of concern, and we are progressing through the particular reforms as they stand. We should also reflect and remind ourselves that any good reforms put in place certainly need some sort of incentive and encouragement to make sure they are carried out. We know that in some circumstances, where there are breaches of the rules, some of those exporters will face the consequences. Some of the sanctions that could apply include placing conditions on future consignments, refusing to approve future consignments or even cancelling an exporter's licence, and there are criminal sanctions for the most serious of offences. This strong new system is only possible because of the hard work of the government and the industry in partnership. A good thing that the minister did was to have a fair degree of cooperation with the industry in this area. He went up to Indonesia himself. He went up to the north and conferred with the industry to make sure that all the concerns were addressed. That is why it is reflected in the Farmer review and adopted by this government: to make sure those matters are resolved. We will continue to have engagement with the industry to make sure that those matters are addressed. The new framework requires evidence that animals will be handled and processed in accordance with the internationally accepted World Organisation for Animal Health animal welfare guidelines. It also enables the continuation of a highly valuable trade by placing it on a sustainable footing and by ensuring that the Australian live export industry meets community expectations. So, in my view, we have satisfied what needs to be met in the area of live animal export. (Time expired)