Sussan Ley ‘blown away’ by Broome Common Export Depot and reaffirms support of live cattle trade

Sussan Ley has paid tribute to the WA beef industry’s “huge potential” and doubled down on the Liberals’ commitment to live cattle exports after visiting the Broome Common Export Depot in the Kimberley. The Opposition Leader visited the depot, which is owned by global company International Livestock Exports, as part of a trip to northern WA at the weekend. There she was joined by Durack MP Melissa Price — who co-ordinated the visit — and shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Kerrynne Liddle, with the trio of Liberal MPs meeting with local industry leaders. They were led on a tour of the facility with depot manager Tom Jury, as well as nationally acclaimed cattle vet Tracy Sullivan and Kimberley Aboriginal Pastoral Company executive officer Allison Dakin. The integrated pastoral enterprise is made up of four Indigenous-owned pastoral stations in northern WA, including Mt Anderson, Myroodah, Frazier Downs and Bohemia Downs, and recently launched its own line of boxed beef in Fitzroy Crossing. Ms Ley said her discussions with Dr Sullivan, Ms Dakin and Mr Jury were focused on sustainable, Indigenous beef production and the various pathways for local Aboriginal people to gain employment in WA’s pastoral sector. “We see huge opportunities to create win wins here, driving better outcomes for Indigenous Australians and growing a vital national agricultural industry,” she said. “I think Australian businesses should be looking at KAPCO, which has a great product that we should be showcasing more.” Dr Sullivan said she attended the tour as a Winston Churchill fellow, after recently exploring systems and structures that supported sustainable Indigenous beef production. Ms Ley — who grew up on a family sheep and cattle farm in south-east NSW — said she was blown away by the depot, labelling it a “seriously impressive facility” and a “real highlight” of her time in Broome. The 5000-head depot is located 10 minutes from town and used to rest, feed, and prepare cattle for live export. It also serves as a quarantine and health-check station to ensure animals meet export standards, with cattle coming from stations across the Kimberley before being exported, primarily to Indonesia. She labelled it a “an example of the vast potential of the (Kimberley) region”. “Beef is an incredible industry across WA and I wanted to hear . . . about how we realise its full potential,” Ms Ley said. “WA beef delivers real jobs and real opportunities for communities across this great State, and we should be looking at every option to help cattle farmers do what they do best.” After visiting the facility, Ms Ley also reaffirmed the Liberal Party’s commitment to Australia’s live cattle export trade, at a time when the Labor Government is pushing on with plans to ban live sheep exports by May 1, 2028. “We are deeply concerned about the impacts of Labor’s export ban on sheep and the prospect it could extend to beef,” she said. “We see Australia’s northern pastoral industry as a critical national industry, and we will never take a backward step from defending it. “We will always fight for the beef industry and its ability to export its world-class product to markets across the world.” Ms Ley said the Coalition would continue to work closely with local producers to ensure the industry was protected. “We will continue to listen to West Australian farmers and producers and find ways to back them to grow,” she said. The trip to Broome Common Export Depot was part of a four day trip to northern WA between Broome and Wyndham, with her stops all falling within Durack — one of three Liberal-held Federal seats in WA. In Kununurra, she met Aboriginal organisations and health services, while in Broome she visited a community centre, with hot topics including a lack of housing, childcare and housing, and problems accessing funding With the Liberals also struggling on the State level, Ms Ley backed Basil Zempilas as the WA Liberal leader and declared he could win the 2029 State election. She said she had met with a number of “outstanding” women in WA and was launching a search for potential candidates to boost the party’s female vote at both a state and national level. She said more female representation would be key to her WA battle plan, after she recently caught up with former foreign minister Julie Bishop, who held the western suburbs seat of Curtin for 20 years. One term after Ms Bishop’s retirement, the blue-ribbon seat was lost to a wave of teal independents. “What I really want to focus on is women that are thinking at this point in time that their values and their aspirations resonate with our party’s values and aspirations. “I want to encourage them to take that step, to join the party and to think of a future where they might put their hand up and be preselected in a seat in WA.”