A FREEDOM of Information search has revealed text messages between the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's office and the RSPCA before official announcements were made on the phase-out of the live sheep export industry.
The snapshot of conversations show possible collusion between the two parties and the information shared and requested to bolster support for the government's policy to phase-out live sheep exports by sea.
Corrigin sheep producer Steven Bolt said ultimately people would make their own assessment of these text messages.
"But I would think that most people would condemn and be shocked at that level of interaction and co-operation between a government department and the RSPCA," Mr Bolt said.
"The RSPCA for all intents and purposes is an activist organisation and this is just staggering.
"The timing and instructions are very specific and there is no doubt of their intentions."
The official announcement to the public had not taken place, however these texts showed the RSPCA was already privy to the information and had drafted a media release supporting the policy and the independent panel selection.
Federal National Party leader David Littleproud said it was clear the government was not looking out for the interests of Australian farmers.
"Minister (Federal Agriculture Minister Murray) Watt has shown he's more comfortable working with activists than farmers on banning the live sheep export industry - even allowing them to announce the government's initial decision," Mr Littleproud said
"Any government prepared to destroy the livelihoods of 3000 Western Australians should first have the courage to face those impacted and defend their scientific reasoning, which the government hasn't had the temerity to do."
Many questions have been raised regarding the government's agenda, when the closing of the live export trade stands to create more animal welfare issues than it solves, both nationally and internationally.
"They are more about activism and shutting down the industry, than actually solving animal welfare issues," Mr Bolt said.
The Federal government's policy to phase-out live sheep exports by sea was officially announced in Perth on Friday, March 3, at 11am Australian Western Standard Time (AWST).
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This came after a letter from the National Farmers' Federation and signed by 24 other peak agricultural bodies was the basis of an article printed in The Australian on Wednesday, March 1, at 8.16pm AEST.
This article seems to have been the precursor for a series of text messages between an adviser from Mr Watt's office and a senior policy adviser from the RSPCA.
The text messages begin at 12.39pm AEST on March 2.
A meeting to discuss the consultation process was held at 9pm AEST (6pm AWST) March 2, and this was followed by an article in The Sydney Morning Herald at 11pm AEST that same night, announcing the members of the independent panel, before the WA public and farmers even knew of the policy, showing someone from the meeting had let a media contact know.
The following morning there was another Zoom briefing with exporters, grower organisations, the RSPCA, Animals Australia, peak bodies and government to name a few and this was held from 12.30pm to 1.15pm AEST on March 3.
The final text message in the document occurred around 20 minutes into this briefing and shows the government adviser asking the RSPCA to make a statement or ask a question during this briefing, which was being dominated by WAFarmers president John Hassell and Pastoralists and Graziers' Association of WA president Tony Seabrook.
In the text messages the RSPCA asks the government if it is OK to put out a press release the morning of the official announcement, prior to all the meetings and press conference.
The government representative was fine with this and even went so far as to request the RSPCA to Tweet their statement out so the government can then retweet it.
The issue lies in the fact that the RSPCA media release contains statements that are contradictory to assurances made to the live sheep export industry stakeholders and producers.
The RSPCA statement said the question was not whether to phase out live sheep export - the Australian community and the government decided that a long time ago - but how.
"We reiterate our call that the government must legislate an end date during this term of Parliament," RSPCA Australia chief executive officer Richard Mussell, said.
"Putting legislation in place before 2025 is the only way to give Australian farmers certainty, to protect Australia's reputation internationally, and to ensure that this cruel trade actually ends.
"The panel is due to report by September, which allows ample time for the government to consider the panel's findings and prepare legislation, to be introduced and passed before the next election.
"Today's announcement is another step closer to ending live sheep export, which has deep, inherent and unfixable animal welfare issues.
"We look forward to supporting the government throughout this process and to hearing the panel's findings."
Mr Watt has consistently said the phase-out will not occur in this term of Federal government, so why would it endorse a media statement that is calling for the opposite?
A spokesperson for the Minister said there was no issues in regards to the text messages as the same message was sent out to industry stakeholders and others and they would not name the individuals who sent the texts.
"As with all FOI documents, identifying information such as individuals' names is redacted for privacy reasons, " the spokesperson said.
"The messages you refer to were part of widespread contact with a broad range of stakeholders including industry, animal welfare groups and unions about their intended media response to the Minister's announcement of the start of the consultation for the phase out of live sheep exports by sea, and their being invited to a briefing ahead of the announcement.
"There is no incident or matter within this engagement requiring investigation."
Tamara Hooper
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
Journalist with Farm Weekly newspaper WA.
