Summary

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The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon, which means it was rejected. The motion was:

That the Senate-

(a)   notes:

(i)   footage of animal cruelty at the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs in Jakarta that was aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television program _Lateline on 28 February 2012 shows serious and systematic breaches of the Government's new Export Supply Chain Assurance System,_(See that Lateline program here.)

(ii)   the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [RSPCA] Chief Scientist has identified 61 observed incidents of non-compliance with the Government's own supply chain assurance elements at the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs,

(iii)   the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Senator Ludwig) has refused to publicly reveal whether Australian cattle are being exported to the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs,

(iv)   that making this information public would not compromise any departmental investigation, and without it the public can have no confidence that the Government's new system to protect animal welfare is being monitored and enforced,

(v)   a Perth-based cattle exporter, International Livestock Exports, announced on 29 February that it had suspended shipments to one of the Indonesian abattoirs in question, placing the industry response ahead of the Government's response to the situation, and

(vi)   that animal rights activists such as Animals Australia and the Indonesian activists who filmed the Jakarta abattoirs are to be congratulated for exposing the continuing cruelty in the live export industry and the failure of Australia's new regulatory regime; and

(b)   calls on the Government to:

(i)   confirm whether Australian cattle are being exported to the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs,

(ii)   publicly disclose the names of any companies involved in exporting live cattle to the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs in Jakarta,

(iii)   immediately suspend the export licences of those companies involved in exporting live cattle to the Temur Petir and Cakung abattoirs in Jakarta until an investigation has been conducted,

(iv)   urgently put more resources into monitoring and enforcement of the supply chain assurance system to ensure that animal welfare is prioritised in the Government's new regulatory regime, and

(v)   move to introduce a ban on live animal exports.

References

Votes Not passed by a modest majority

Nobody rebelled against their party.

Party Votes
Australian Greens (100% turnout) 9 Yes 0 No
Bob Brown Tasmania Yes
Richard Di Natale Victoria Yes
Sarah Hanson-Young SA Yes
Scott Ludlam WA Yes
Christine Milne Tasmania Yes
Lee Rhiannon NSW Yes
Rachel Siewert WA Yes
Larissa Waters Queensland Yes
Penny Wright SA Yes
Australian Labor Party (60% turnout) 0 Yes 18 No
Catryna Bilyk Tasmania No
Carol Brown Tasmania No
Doug Cameron NSW No
Jacinta Collins Victoria No
John Faulkner NSW No
David Feeney Victoria No
Mark Furner Queensland No
Alex Gallacher SA No
Joe Ludwig Queensland No
Gavin Marshall Victoria No
Anne McEwen SA No
Claire Moore Queensland No
Helen Polley Tasmania No
Louise Pratt WA No
Nick Sherry Tasmania No
Ursula Stephens NSW No
Glenn Sterle WA No
Anne Urquhart Tasmania No
Mark Bishop WA Absent
Bob Carr NSW Absent
Kim Carr Victoria Absent
Stephen Conroy Victoria Absent
Trish Crossin NT Absent
Chris Evans WA Absent
Don Farrell SA Absent
Kate Lundy ACT Absent
Jan McLucas Queensland Absent
Lisa Singh Tasmania Absent
Matt Thistlethwaite NSW Absent
Penny Wong SA Absent
Nigel Scullion NT Country Liberal Party Absent
John Madigan Victoria Democratic Labor Party No
Stephen Parry Tasmania Deputy President No
Nick Xenophon SA Independent Absent
Liberal Party (22% turnout) 0 Yes 6 No
Christopher Back WA No
Sue Boyce Queensland No
Mathias Cormann WA No
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells NSW No
Mitch Fifield Victoria No
Helen Kroger Victoria No
Eric Abetz Tasmania Absent
Judith Adams WA Absent
Cory Bernardi SA Absent
Simon Birmingham SA Absent
George Brandis Queensland Absent
David Bushby Tasmania Absent
Michaelia Cash WA Absent
Richard Colbeck Tasmania Absent
Sean Edwards SA Absent
Alan Eggleston WA Absent
David Fawcett SA Absent
Mary Fisher SA Absent
Bill Heffernan NSW Absent
Gary Humphries ACT Absent
David Johnston WA Absent
Ian Macdonald Queensland Absent
Brett Mason Queensland Absent
Marise Payne NSW Absent
Michael Ronaldson Victoria Absent
Scott Ryan Victoria Absent
Arthur Sinodinos NSW Absent
National Party (60% turnout) 0 Yes 3 No
Barnaby Joyce Queensland No
Bridget McKenzie Victoria No
John Williams NSW No
Ron Boswell Queensland Absent
Fiona Nash NSW Absent
John Hogg Queensland President Absent
Totals (50% turnout) 9 Yes – 29 No