Announcement date
11 May 2024
Link to announcement
$107 million to support phase out of live sheep exports by sea | Ministers (agriculture.gov.au)
Problem being addressed
Live sheep exports by sea have been a part of the Australian sheep industry for generations. There are ongoing community concerns about the treatment and conditions sheep experience once they leave Australia. Repeated animal welfare incidents have led to reviews and regulatory changes. These changes have not entirely removed the risks inherent in the live sheep by sea export trade, in relation to which the Australian public continues to hold concerns. The Government committed at the 2022 election to phase out live sheep exports by sea.
Proposal
The Proposal is to prohibit all live sheep exports by sea from Australia from 1 May 2028.
Assessed Impact Analysis outcome
Impact Analysis Equivalent.
Assessment comments
Consistent with the Government’s Impact Analysis (IA) requirements, the Independent Panel Report– Phase out of live sheep exports by sea has been certified by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) as meeting the requirements of an IA.
The Office of Impact Analysis (OIA) does not assess the quality of reviews and documents used in lieu of an Impact Analysis (IA). Impact Analysis Equivalents (IAE) are assessed by OIA for relevance to the recommended option(s) and for the coverage of the 7 Impact Analysis questions.
The OIA assessed that the analysis in the certified Independent Panel Report– Phase out of live sheep exports by sea is sufficiently relevant to the proposal to meet the requirements in the Australian Government Guide to Policy Impact Analysis. The OIA also assessed that the IAE addresses each of the 7 Impact Analysis questions.
DAFF has indicated that a web accessible version of the Independent Panel Report– Phase out of live sheep exports by sea will soon be published on its website: Phase out of live sheep exports by sea