MEDIA RELEASE – ALBANESE’S BAD JOKE PROOF OF HIS CONTEMPT FOR WA

Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash
Shadow Attorney-General
Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
Senator for Western Australia

21 AUGUST 2024

ALBANESE’S BAD JOKE PROOF OF HIS CONTEMPT FOR WA

A joke in extremely poor taste by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese clearly shows he holds Western Australia and our live export trade in complete contempt.

In his speech on Tuesday night in Canberra at the Rural Women’s Awards Mr Albanese commented on an earlier dinner he had attended with Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto. Mr Albanese said: “When we had dinner – beautiful Australian beef, not the live export, we made sure it was dead.”

Senator Michaelia Cash said it was an absolute disgrace that the Prime Minister of Australia would joke about live exports after he has moved to shut down the WA live sheep export industry which will cost some Western Australian farmers their livelihoods.

“This Prime Minister pretends he supports Western Australia but is happy to make our farmers the butt of his jokes,’’ Senator Cash said.

“What a disgrace – he’s moved to shut down a WA industry and then jokes about it,’’ she said.

“The live beef export industry should now be on notice that Mr Albanese is likely to do the same to them as he has done to the live sheep industry,’’ she said.

“Any move against the live beef export industry will clearly be another attack on Western Australia,’’ Senator Cash said.

“Just add it to the attack his radical industrial relations laws and proposed nature positive legislation are on our mining and resources industries,’’ she said.

“This should all the proof Western Australians need to realise the Prime Minister holds them in contempt,’’ Senator Cash said.

ENDS