Coalition issues live ex call to arms

He spearheaded a high-powered coalition of Federal Liberal and National Party members who toured regional WA last week, including to a passionate audience at the Wagin Woolorama last Friday morning.

While he was preaching to the converted, he called on everyone to step up the fight against the Federal government's plans to phase-out live sheep exports by sea, if it was returned to power in the 2025 Federal election.

While the industry at large has failed to sway Federal Labor policy, by presenting scientific evidence and demonstrating the devastating effects it will have on businesses and people living in rural towns, Mr Ramsey said the latest attack was just the start of things to come.

"While we are fighting here about the live export sheep trade that affects you primarily, South Australia secondary and probably through to Victoria and New South Wales markets, there are a whole lot of issues around Australia that have the same kind of resonance," Mr Ramsey said.

"We need to use this issue here at the touchstone to say we are not taking it anymore, we are going to fight back - and if you are going to persist with this kind of action against Australian farmers you can expect to get a hell of a fight."

"We are on your side," Mr Ramsey assured everyone at the Wagin meeting.

He said as MPs, they were unable to win the fight on their own.

"We are hostage to the democratic decision that people made 18 months ago and we are going to have to fight back, but we need your assistance to do so," Mr Ramsey said.

Tony Pasin, the Federal MP for Barker, South Australia, suggested the only way to do that was to create anxiety for the handful of Federal MPs who were presiding in marginal seats - and lobbying them hard in the lead up to the next election.

"That is the strongest message you will send - you will have five very nervous Labor members and it's the only way you will change their mind," Mr Pasin said.

He said real stories of people suffering and worrying about the future of their businesses and towns, were falling on deaf ears.

"They are treating you, quite frankly, with disdain," Mr Pasin said.

"If they respected you, they would have released that report they are sitting on," he said, referring to the Independent Panel's assessment after holding meetings with producers and key stakeholders across the State last year.

While the panel has submitted its report to the government, its contents remains confidential.

"They asked you to come to meetings and give your input - you thought you were giving input on whether the trade should continue," Mr Pasin said.

He told everyone at the Wagin meeting, the government had set up the panel to determine "the cheapest and easiest way to run the trade out of town".

"Not withstanding that, they should do you the respect of releasing this report," he said.

Mr Pasin hosed down calls to mount a legal challenge against government policy.

"There is no way that you could challenge that position in the courts once it is adopted by your democratically-elected parliament," Mr Pasin said.

"If there was a way to do that, we would have provided advice to your farming organisations to take that fight on."

Federal Forrest MP Nola Marino, said as a passionate dairy farmer, she was worried for the future of people who had invested so much into agriculture.

"The one thing I don't want to see after this next election, what worries me as a farmer, as a member of parliament and someone who is desperately proud of everything you do, is if we end up with a parliament where we haven't take the action that you have been encouraged you to do today," Ms Marino said.

"We will end up with a parliament where we have a group of independents and greens working with the Labor Party.

"Let me tell you, they will come for all of us.

"I want to leave you under no illusions that the call to action is real - it's right now.

"I have never in my 50 years of farming been as concerned about us in rural, regional and farming across the board as I am right now."

She said it was important for everyone affected to tell their stories, saying "you and your families matter".

Federal O'Connor MP Rick Wilson said the coalition would continue to question government policy, saying "there is no end to this fight".

He reminded everyone that 12 months earlier Federal Liberal Party leader Peter Dutton visited the Wagin Woolorama and committed to reinstate the live export industry - no matter what the current government did and whatever timeline it introduced to phase-out the industry.

"It doesn't really worry me because we will win government again in this country and we will reopen the trade," Mr Wilson said.

He said they would throw the resources of government behind the industry and help open up new markets.

On Tuesday of this week, Mr Ramsey said he wanted to give producers who provided evidence to the Independent Panel, the chance to share their stories with the coalition committee, which will then discuss them in the parliament.

"It is inconceivable that keeping this much-publicised report under wraps is in any way in the public interest," Mr Ramsey said.

"If the phase-out panel has made findings of fact that contradict the government's ideology-led approach to live exports, those findings must be exposed to the full light of public scrutiny."

Submissions can be forwarded to coalition committee member

rick.wilson.mp@aph.gov.au for inclusion in the committee's report.