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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-10 Daily Xml
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Ministerial Statement

LIVESTOCK SLAUGHTER

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the Status of Women) (14:19): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I would like to put on record clarification of the requirements for the slaughter of animals and correct some of the confusing statements made by the Hon. Tammy Franks.

All slaughter of animals Australia-wide is covered by a national standard, the Australian Standard for Hygienic Production and Transportation of Meat and Meat Products for Human Consumption, AS 4696:2007. The national standard, which South Australia supports, allows ritual slaughter. All abattoirs in South Australia are registered and required to adhere to the national standard. They must have in place procedures to alleviate unnecessary injury, pain and suffering of animals. Post stunning in humane circumstances is required by the standard and is an adopted practice for Islamic meat processing. A small number of abattoirs in South Australia process without pre-stunning—sheep and goats, and I have recently been informed, a small number of cattle. As I have said previously, I am advised that slaughter is carried out in compliance with the national guidelines and agreed welfare framework.

The Hon. Tammy Franks seems to have wilfully misled both the chamber and the public by stating that there are exemptions applying to ritual slaughter. In effect, she has repeatedly confused both the chamber and the public on this topic. Contrary to her repeated assertions, there are no exemptions from the national standards applying to the animals killed for human consumption in South Australia for particular religious groups, and that applies to the process of stunning. As I have committed in the chamber previously—

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Point of order, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Wade has a point of order.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: If I heard the minister correctly, she suggested that the member had wilfully misled this chamber. If the minister is asserting that she should do so by substantive motion.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Wade has a point of order; the honourable minister should stick to the—

The Hon. S.G. WADE: She should withdraw her allegation if she is not willing to move it.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Thank you, Mr President. I thank you for your guidance. As I have committed in this chamber previously—

The Hon. S.G. WADE: On a point of order, Mr President.

The PRESIDENT: Order! You should withdraw those remarks.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Unless she wants to move it by motion.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I am happy to move it by motion, so in the interim do I need to withdraw the statement—

The Hon. S.G. Wade: 'Wilfully misled'.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —that Tammy Franks seems to have wilfully—

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: The Hon. Tammy Franks.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —I beg your pardon—the Hon. Tammy Franks seems to have wilfully misled both the chamber—

The Hon. T.A. Franks interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Ms Franks.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Do you want me to withdraw this or not, for goodness sake?

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! If you want it withdrawn, you should just sit there in silence. The honourable minister has been asked to withdraw it.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: And I am seeking to withdraw the comment that the Hon. Tammy Franks seems to have wilfully—

The PRESIDENT: Just withdraw it, please.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: Withdraw what, though?

The PRESIDENT: Just withdraw those comments. Unless you want to make a substantive motion.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I am not too sure what I am withdrawing, the whole statement or the statement that—

The PRESIDENT: No, just the words to say—

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: —the Hon. Tammy Franks seems to have wilfully misled both the chamber and the public.

The PRESIDENT: Yes.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: That is the statement that I seek to withdraw.

The PRESIDENT: Withdrawing, thank you.

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: There are no exemptions applying to ritual slaughter as stated by the Hon. Tammy Franks. There are no exemptions that apply here in South Australia—so contrary to the Hon. Tammy Franks' repeated assertion, there are no exemptions from the national standard applying to animals killed for human consumption in South Australia for particular religious groups.

As I have committed in the chamber previously, my agency and I will continue to work for a nationally consistent approach, whilst also working with religious groups in South Australia to continue to improve the standards around the ritual slaughter of animals.

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