Review of communication and engagement in livestock export regulation
Submission overview
While we have found the Department to be relatively responsive to personal communications and general inquiries, we have long held concerns about the Department’s general approach to information disclosure relating to the trade. Over the past decade in particular, we have noted a distinct tendency for Department’s approach to information disclosure to be influenced by a desire to protect the reputation of the trade at the expense of regulatory transparency and impartiality. This has manifested in the form of systematic minimisation of animal welfare issues and incidents and in the complete refusal to release certain information, often based on tenuous reasoning.
The Department must take a more objective approach to the disclosure of information relating to the trade, including the manner in which such information is framed and described. Frank and fearless advice and reporting are key to the integrity of the public service. The Department must improve the transparency and impartiality of its communications if it is to build the trust and confidence of the community in its approach to regulating the live export trade.
We provide the below specific comments on key components of the Department’s communication and engagement to further elucidate this general point.
Any questions about our submission, please contact: Dr Jed Goodfellow (jed.goodfellow@allianceforanimals.org.au).
Read our submission
In this submission, the Alliance for Animals offers several recommendations to improve the Australian Government’s approach to live export regulation.
Cover photo credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.