Shire of Katanning president Kristy D’Aprile flies to Canberra to fight live export ban

Katanning Shire president Kristy D’Aprile has met with the prime minister in Canberra this week to oppose the live sheep export ban, which she says will “decimate” the Great Southern economy.

The ban was pushed through the federal Senate on Monday night in a political guillotine and, if upheld, will see the closure of the live sheep export industry by 2028.

Ms D’Aprile flew to Canberra with the Keep the Sheep campaign to represent an alliance of seven Great Southern shires: Katanning, Kojonup, Broomehill-Tambellup, Gnowangerup, Cranbrook, Jerramungup, and Woodanilling.

Broomehill-Tambellup shire president Michael White and City of Albany deputy mayor Paul Terry accompanied her.

Ms D’Aprile said the passing of the ban was “disappointing and devastating” for the Great Southern community and that the allied shires would “continue to fight” to overturn the ban until the next federal election next year.

“We were meeting with the Prime Minister who said he wouldn’t leave behind regions, and we’re going to have to request an economic stimulus package from the federal government now,” she said.

Ms D’Aprile said community members had reached out to her to “continue to fight and stand up for our community”.

“I just need to walk down the road at the moment and talk to our growers and small businesses who plead to me to continue to fight,” she said.

“The fight will not be over . . . we will continue to fight this because our future depends on it.”

She said the transition package falls “significantly short” for the Great Southern communities and does not account for indirect businesses.

Ms D’Aprile said the industry phase-out would be “catastrophic” for the Great Southern local economy according to an economic study commissioned by the alliance, which estimates $1 billion will be lost from the Great Southern economy over the next 20 years.

“It’s critical for our local economy, it’s critical to the health of our small businesses, it’s critical to the stability of our communities, from sporting clubs to small businesses, to essential infrastructure like health care and schools, because this will decimate our communities,” she said.

“It’s absolutely critical that we stand up now as leaders of our community to fight for our small businesses, to fight for our growers, and to fight for the viability of our country town.”