AS I walked around the tents at the 50th Anniversary of Wagin Woolorama, an agriculture show dedicated to WA's sheep industries, I was stopped by many who wanted to have a chat.
Their top topic?
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Live export and the Albanese government's plan to decimate regional communities reliant on our world-leading trade.
When you consider an event like Wagin Woolorama, it's hard to not see the diverse range of honest, hard-working people a ban on the live sheep trade would impact.
Farmers, graziers, livestock agents, truck drivers, veterinarians, shearers represent the obvious casualties to Labor's policy but the truth is, every job in rural towns across the Wheatbelt and Great Southern are at risk once they go ahead with their plan.
Industry representatives informed me that about 40 per cent of WA's sheep flock could go as a result of Labor's decision.
Unfortunately, there are already signs of the industry making difficult decisions now, with many producers understandably already weighing up their options as they prepare for an uncertain future.
From decisions on breeding to determining future sales programs, Western Australians have taken matters into their own hands and are making adjustments as they anticipate the end of the trade.
It takes years of hard work to build a flock and decisions can't be made overnight - so farmers must plan ahead when governments make politically-driven decisions.
The live export industry exists as a part of a whole system.
It is not a separate sheep flock, nor an independent component of farm businesses.
It is an important tool for farmers to manage animal welfare - allowing the offtake of animals in poor seasons which would not be able to meet the specifications of local processors and providing a reliable market for sheep which are unsuited to domestic processing.
By removing that market, the ramifications will be felt across the entire sheep industry.
If farmers can't be certain of a market in difficult times or for those animals not suited to domestic consumption - they may well make the decision to exit the sheep industry entirely.
This issue is not limited to the $136 million that the live sheep trade brings to WA - it's also about the benchmark Australia has set for animal welfare.
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Removing our live sheep from the global market will ultimately lead to the demise of global welfare standards, as countries who relied on our produce turn to other nations.
Without having a country such as Australia setting the standard, the live sheep trade will become a race to the bottom.
Labor's decision will make Australia responsible for the erosion of decades of animal welfare progress, overnight.
How is that for a Prime Minister who claimed he wanted to "make Australians proud"?
The political cynicism that has driven Mr Albanese's decision has not been lost on other WA industries, including those outside the agricultural sector.
They now understand that their livelihoods are absolutely expendable and considered as acceptable collateral damage in the government's quest for inner city votes on the east coast and that they could be next in the firing line.
Sadly, this is not something new, as we saw it during the Labor government's last term in office where they tried overnight to ban live cattle exports.
Quite rightly, WA businesses are questioning if an industry does not suit the Labor government's platform, will they just be closed down as well?
Unfortunately, that ideology rings true for our WA Premier Mark McGowan and Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis who have already thrown in the towel and are talking "transition".
Ms Jarvis evidently looks forward to transitioning to a world with lower animal welfare standards, a less diverse agriculture industry and poorer outcomes for regional people.
This is despite promising signs early in Ms Jarvis' tenure as the new minister.
As the first parliamentary sitting weeks of 2023 came to a close, we saw the stance the new Agriculture Minister took, unequivocally supporting live export.
But in a matter of weeks, this solidarity vanished entirely as the minister found herself unable to stand up to her Federal counterpart's plans to shut down this industry.
Any sign of hope the sector had for the future of live export under State and Federal Labor has been completely squashed, as the industry and those 3500 people employed across the supply chain wait with bated breath for transition plans to be explained.
In this period of wall-to-wall Labor, it is obvious that when it comes to regional WA, the State government is to be seen and not heard.
Unfortunately, there are 3500 Western Australians relying on WA Labor to stand up for their job.
The lack of action by the Labor State government is why Deputy Leader of The Nationals WA Peter Rundle and I launched a petition calling for the continuation of the live export industry.
This is why we will keep fighting for the world-leading WA trade to continue.
This is why we are calling on you to make your voice heard by signing the petition and sending a strong message to the Labor Party.
When I walk around the stalls at next year's Wagin Woolorama, I want to see confidence restored in WA's agriculture sector and that starts with all of us standing up for WA jobs and communities.
To sign the petition, go to nationalswa.com/petitions
