Federal MP for Maranoa and Agriculture Minister David Littleproud says the government will “carefully work through” a Federal Court decision handed down today on the Indonesian live cattle export ban in 2011.
The Federal Court has ruled that former ALP agriculture minister Joe Ludwig’s 2011 snap decision to ban live exports to Indonesia was “unreasonable and invalid”.
The court’s ruling potentially opens up millions in compensation for Northern Australian cattle producers and supply chain businesses which were affected by the export ban and is the subject of a class action.
But Mr Littleproud today stopped short of commenting on a possible government appeal against the Federal Court ruling, only saying the government “will now carefully work through the judgement before making any further comment.”
Australia had exported more than half a million head of cattle to Indonesia in 2010 and it took years for the trade to get back on track following the ban.
The Federal Court class action was brought by the Brett Cattle Company.
The Court today ordered the Commonwealth pay the legal costs of the proceedings, noting Brett Cattle was entitled to substantial damages and the parties would have to return to court at a later date in order to determine compensation for the class action members.
National Farmers Federation chief executive Tony Mahar welcomed the decision which he said would “right a wrong that was committed in 2011”.
“The courts that have recognised the reckless decision made by the then-government that decimated and devastated an agricultural industry, the live export industry, in parts of rural and regional Australia,” he said.
