Live export: WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis hits back at Opposition’s accusations of ‘bare faced lies’

Jackie Jarvis has been accused of “lying” to farmers after freedom of information documents cast doubt on recent claims the WA Agriculture Minister had done all she could to advocate for the embattled live sheep trade. But Ms Jarvis has delivered a scathing rebuke, accusing the Opposition of “playing games in the media” while she worked hard to “secure the best possible support package” for the State’s sheep farmers. It comes after Opposition Leader Shane Love lodged an Freedom of Information request seeking all official correspondence between Ms Jarvis and her Federal counterpart, Murray Watt, referencing “live export”. The request spanned the period June 20 to July 31 this year, during which Federal Labor’s live export panel visited Perth to engage in consultation on how and when to phase out the industry. In her written response to the request, Ms Jarvis said no documents falling within the scope of the application existed within her office records. These included “meeting notes, reports, briefing notes, contentious issue notes, media requests and responses, diary entries, meeting agendas and minutes, letters, emails, text messages and other messages from instant messaging applications”. Mr Love told Countryman it was proof Ms Jarvis’ repeated claims of supporting live export and being in regular contact with Senator Watt were at best “questionable”. “At the most extreme, Minister Jarvis has told bare-faced lies to the people of Western Australia, a slap in the face to the sheep farmers she’s obligated to represent,” he said. “She took no significant behind-the-scenes action to lobby the Federal Labor Government. “The absence of communication with her and Murray Watt shows she, and the rest of the Cook Labor Government, simply fall to the pressure of (Prime Minister) Anthony Albanese.” Earlier this month, Ms Jarvis blasted critics who claimed she had not done enough to oppose Federal Labor’s policy to ban the live sheep trade. In a fiery address at the Pastoralists and Graziers Association of WA’s annual convention, Ms Jarvis reiterated her support for the industry and insisted she discussed the issue “regularly” with Senator Watt. “I’m frustrated with this decision by the Federal Government, but I’m not sure how much more I can advocate,” she said. Ms Jarvis this week told Countryman she had had three face-to-face meetings with Senator Watt — two in Perth and one in Melbourne — during the six-week period the FOI request covered. “In fact, on July 13 we held a joint press conference in the Swan Valley, where I stood by Senator Watt’s side and publicly reiterated that the Cook Government does not support the live export ban,” she said. “I also had numerous meetings with both industry groups and DPIRD (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) in relation to our submission to the live export panel.” Mr Love doubled down, saying the livelihoods of live sheep exporters were “under attack” and the lack of “any formal communication” between the ministers showed Ms Jarvis “simply must not care about the issues farmers are facing”. “Minister Jarvis claimed she was doing all she could. If this is so, where were the emails? Where were the meetings? Where were the texts?” he said. “Furthermore, where are the crisis talks we and the industry have called for?” He said Ms Jarvis had “lost the trust of farmers”. The Nationals have vowed to bin Federal Labor’s live export phase-out policy if they win the next Federal election.