ANIMAL ACTIVISM —
LEGISLATION
401. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Premier:
I refer to the commitment made by
the Attorney General over a year ago now to introduce restraining order
legislation against people he described as mushy-headed vegans; we usually
describe them as people who trespass on agricultural land, irrespective of what
they choose to eat. Based on that, where is the government's trespass
legislation to protect Western Australian farmers, given the renewed threats
from animal activists following the recent Al Kuwait debacle?
Mr M. McGOWAN
replied:
The government is still finalising
the drafting of the legislation. It has not been easy, particularly because a lot
of drafting resources have been removed from business-as-usual projects and put
towards COVID-19-related projects over the last three or four months. As I understand
it, the Attorney General is finalising the legislation. As I have indicated to
the house, it has to strike a balance between ensuring we provide protection to
farmers across Western Australia and also ensuring that an inspection regime is
in place in intensive production areas, such as piggeries and the like.