The Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh, says a two-year battle to protect Victorian farmers and their private property from radical fringe animal activists has been won following the recent passage of the Biosecurity Legislation Amendment (Incident Response) Bill 2024.
Mr Walsh says it has been the tireless work of every member of The Nationals across regional Victoria which has pushed this Bill through Parliament.
“We have been pressuring the reluctant Allan Labor Government every step of the way to adopt measures imposing tougher penalties for trespassing on agricultural premises, effectively doubling them to a maximum of $23,077 for individuals and $115,386 for organisations,” he added.
“Two years ago, an Impact of Animal Activism Inquiry, led by The Nationals, revealed shortfalls in the existing trespass laws and revealed instances of justice system failures.
“Despite this, the Labor Government initially ignored our recommendation of harsher penalties for individuals trespassing on, and causing damage to producer’s homes and businesses.”
Mr Walsh says even one of the most recent illegal invasions of the fringe radicals, where 30 of them late last year stormed into a Benalla abattoir, chaining themselves to equipment in the facility to disrupt its normal operations could not get a supportive reaction from Labor.
He says even though it had become obvious to everyone in the production chain, and most observers, some urgent action needed to be taken, Labor still refused to commit.
“When the Liberals and Nationals tried to introduce harsher penalties, Labor not only reused to support it, they actually voted against it,” Mr Walsh says.
“This total failure to respect the rights of businesses and the people running them, out of some ideological obligation to these activist hardliners eventually backfired,” he says.
“This time around the Labor government finally succumbed to the pressure and introduced the exact same amendments we previously wanted put in place.
“The welfare of all animals is paramount, and Victoria has some of the most stringent animal welfare laws in the country. However, farmers and the agricultural industry will not be dictated to by radical animal activists, nor will they have trespassers enter their home or workplace illegally, simply to cause disruption and damage. We all have the choice to enjoy meat as a meal when it is produced in a safe and sustainable way.
“We do not need extreme animal activists attempting to bring our agriculture industry to a grinding halt.”
Mr Walsh condemned Labor’s political games, which left primary producers paying the price for the Allan government’s inability to listen and act on the needs of the industry.
He says the two-year delay by Labor has also meant more justice denied for our hardworking farmers, who were impacted by trespassing and damage to their premises.
“But despite this recent win, the fight is not over. The next battle is to ensure Labor does not destroy our state’s agricultural sector with its amendments to the Animal Care and Protection Bill, currently open for public submissions,” Mr Walsh says..
“With a history of questionable dealings between Labor and crossbench MPs, The Nationals will continue our fight for strong animal welfare outcomes as well as the long-term viability of Victorian agriculture.”