Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment

Rising to speak in support of an amendment, Abigail advocated for breeding programs that reduce flystrike susceptibility in sheep and in support of stronger animal protection laws.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (11:51:54): I add the support of The Greens to the Cruelty to Animals Amendment (Restrictions on Stock Animal Procedures) Bill 2019 and thank the Animal Justice Party for introducing it. There is no doubt that sheep suffer a slow and painful death from flystrike. However, mulesing is also an extraordinarily painful experience for sheep, as we have heard today from the Hon. Emma Hurst, particularly when it comes without pain relief. Currently there are no permanent alternatives to mulesing that do not cause pain for the animal. There is no consensus on whether the application of liquid nitrogen to freeze burn the flystrike susceptible area off causes significantly less pain.

The only permanent and humane solution is breeding programs that reduce flystrike susceptibility. That has been happening here and in other countries. New Zealand banned mulesing in 2018, albeit with a longer phase out plan. While we have concerns that an implementation period of less than two years before mulesing becomes a criminal offence will make it difficult for industry to conduct the breeding programs necessary to eliminate flystrike, on balance we do not view it as impossible and we will support the two-year period, while also being open to amendments on that. We thank the Opposition for its suggestion of a committee inquiry to explore the issue further. The Greens agree that would be helpful and we also support that.

Read full transcript here

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Amendment

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

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