North-eastern Wheatbelt shire alliance criticises ‘late’ dwell sheep export transition bundle | USAEMALL.com

An alliance of seven Wheatbelt shires says the Federal Government’s live sheep export transition package forgets the ban’s impact on regional communities in its funding breakdown.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins visited WA earlier this month to announce the long-awaited breakdown of the $139.7 million transition assistance package aimed to help farmers and the wider industry transition away from live sheep exports.

North Eastern Wheatbelt Regional Organisation of Councils president and Trayning grain farmer Melanie Brown said the package was insufficient for regional communities to diversify their economies.

“That’s been our big push — that it’s not just about the producers and processors, the shearers, and the truck drivers — it’s actually about whole communities and who they’re affected,” she said.

“Like losing people from your school and local store — because if you’ve having people leave from your community because there’s no work for them, then it’s a flow-on effect everywhere.”

NEWROC comprises seven shires: Dowerin, Koorda, Mt Marshall, Mukinbudin, Nungarin, Trayning, and Wyalkatchem.

A report by Econisis, an independent consultancy, commissioned by NEWROC and released in November 2023 said the Federal Government’s plan to ban live sheep exports by May 2028 would have a significant financial impact on the shires.

It said 43 per cent of jobs in the NEWROC shires were created by the 349 agricultural businesses in the area and the ban was set to cost $39 million and $128 million in economic output over 20 years.

In June, the group released its policy position on the transition away from the live sheep export trade, deeming that the local agricultural industry would not only be negatively impacted but so too would local communities and households.

“The direct impact on sheep farmers and their supply chains are also expected to have a secondary impact on the households and communities in which these businesses operate,” the policy said.

“This includes through reduced incomes, earnings, and expenditure into the wider economy.

“For just the seven local governments in the north-eastern Wheatbelt, there will conservatively be a loss of $128 million and a further $35 million household expenditure.”

NEWROC executive officer Caroline Robinson said the transition assistance package breakdown was too “late” as the sheep industry had already suffered from people leaving it.

“It should have been done when the legislation was passed — it should have been sitting there ready to go,” she said

“We went over to Canberra to meet the transition team a couple of weeks ago — we also met Dr Chris Rodwell — and our whole piece was that the transition package was very late.

“It excludes the wider economy.

“Our whole position has been that you take out access to that trade and it actually impacts agriculture as a whole, and then has a multiplier effect on the community and other businesses in town.”

NEWROC’s report said the ban’s impact would be “further exacerbated” when the centrality of sheep farm expenditure, employment and incomes to the functioning of local and regional communities was also considered.

“This adds a further $21m to $35m in economic impact,” it said.

The report called for greater investment and compensation from the Federal Government.

Ms Brown said the Federal Government failed to understand how “dire” the ban’s impact would be on local communities.

“People have already got out of sheep in our area,” she said.

“The sheep industry is closing down as we speak, and it’s not being replaced with anything.”