Live Export

Gillard promotes live export critic to senior trade post

James Nason 04/02/2013

Kelvin Thompson is the Federal Government's new Parliamentary Secretary for TradeThe elevation of a vocal critic of Australian livestock exports to a senior trade position in Julia Gillard’s Government has alarmed the northern cattle industry.

Victorian Labor MP Kelvin Thomson, who represents the suburban Melbourne electorate of Wills, has been promoted to the position of Parliamentary Secretary for Trade in Ms Gillard’s ministerial reshuffle announced on the weekend.

Mr Thomson has been a major critic of the livestock export trade and has lead backbench revolts against the Gillard Government’s policy of supporting the industry. He has long called for the one billion dollar a year trade to be phased out.

The Minister for Trade, Craig Emerson, told ABC radio this morning that Mr Thompson's appointment will not lead to a change in policy on live exports.

"The Government's position is established, and Kelvin and I and others will continue to implement that," Mr Emerson said, as quoted by News Limited journalists.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce expressed immediate concern at the appointment, suggesting this morning it would be the equivalent of placing Greens leader Christine Milne in charge of uranium mining in Australia.

"It is a very, very bad decision by the captain," Mr Joyce said.

Mr Thomson told the media this morning he "very appreciative" of the promotion.

"Trade has long been important to Australia's prosperity. I am very honoured to have the opportunity to serve the people of Australia in this role."

Northern cattle industry leaders say they are eager to meet with the outspoken anti-live export critic as soon as possible to understand where his responsibilities with trade will lie.

Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association executive director Luke Mr Bowen said Mr Thomson appeared to have a “fairly simplistic and agenda-driven focus” on live exports, and the northern cattle industry would be concerned if he was provided any level of responsibility for the industry.

“Certainly from our perspective trade is an incredibly important portfolio on which industry has been lucky to have some reasonably focused ministers in recent times, and certainly Craig Emerson is one of those who has been supportive of the industry and who has also been willing to engage in a meaningful and constructive way,” Mr Bowen told Beef Central this morning. 

“We would be wanting to ensure that the trade minister continues in that vein and doesn’t hand any responsibility (for live exports) to the parliamentary secretary, given that he comes from a suburban electorate and has demonstrated an open and active opposition to the live export industry, despite its work in foreign markets to improve animal welfare, like no other country in the world.”

Mr Bowen said the northern industry had seen time and time again a “complete lack of understanding” by some parliamentarians in Canberra of northern Australia, and the importance of its relationship to other countries in the region, from a trade, political and cultural perspective.

“So it is very important that these people are made fully aware of the full extent of the industries for which they are given responsibility,” he said.

He said the industry had been concerned by Mr Thomson’s recent actions where he wrote directly to Indonesian minister for agriculture Suswono expressing concern at pictures that showed Indonesian cattle being suspended by their heads as they were lifted by a crane from a boat.

Mr Bowen said Mr Thomson had stepped outside trade protocols and taken unilateral action by writing as an Australian parliamentarian to a foreign minister, which was not his responsibility to do.

“He has been handed some potentially very serious responsibilities, and we would be looking to engage with him immediately to get an understanding of where and what he may be responsible for.” 

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