THE Federal Court in Sydney this morning made an order that former Labor agriculture minister Joe Ludwig and the Commonwealth must provide ministerial documents relating to Mr Ludwig’s decision to ban live exports to Indonesia in June 2011.

The order by Federal Court judge Justice Rares, including private and internal emails and text messages, came after an 18-month battle by industry to obtain the materials.

Mr Ludwig has been accused of failing to disclose mobile phone records and using personal email accounts to conceal his role in the 2011 live cattle ban.

The documents were central to the industry’s claim for compensation where affected pastoralists and families have lost an estimated $600 million, NT Cattlemens Association chief executive Tracey Hayes said in a statement this morning.

“Some time ago the Commonwealth promised to behave like a Model Litigant,” Ms Hayes said.

“It is astounding that we have had to fight so hard to get this material, for Joe Ludwig to have to be ordered to provide it.”

The documents will assist the NTCA, which is strongly supported by the Australian Farmers’ Fighting Fund, to run the case, listed for July this year.

“We are grateful for the financial support of Australian Farmers’ Fighting Fund have given – they recognised the national significance of this issue immediately and have backed us ever since,” Ms Hayes said.

The NTCA said it now looked forward to the main hearing in July.

“Although we expected to sit down and negotiate this matter, to date the Commonwealth has not been interested. We look forward to Joe Ludwig attending the trial in July to answer the issues before him. He owes that to all of those affected,” she said.

“Although the industry is now doing well, you can’t shut up shop for two years and not still be hurting financially today. Some farmers had to sell their properties as a result of this ban – a ban seemingly timed to create the most financial damage to our industry.”

“We still hold some hope that the Commonwealth will sit down and discuss this claim with us. If not we will continue to pursue it with as much vigour as we have in the past.”

• The NTCA annual conference is being held in Darwin today.