The Acting Prime Ministers statements at the NT Cattlemans Association Conference in Darwin today regarding Labors position on the live cattle export industry are an outright lie.

He made the assertion that the live cattle export will not be safe under Labor.

That is a lie, a complete lie.

TheLabor party supports the live cattle trade, unequivocally. Indeed, it was a Labor Government which invested and worked hard to put the sector on a sustainable path.

There is absolutely no justification for Michael McCormacks assertion that the cattle export industry will not continue to exist and thrive under a Labor government.

The Acting Prime Minister has deliberately tried to mislead the cattle industry of the Northern Territory and the cattle industry of Australia. Its the only trick a desperate, dysfunctional and divided Government has left.

He should be condemned for that sort of derisory statement because its alarmist and its wrong.

We in this nation have a common objective to make sure the cattle industry thrives. Parliamentarians representing Northern Australia understand better than he does. Labor is very supportive of the live cattle export trade here and across Australia, but particularly in the Northern Territory.

Our political opponents continue to use live export as a political issue, saying that as sure as night follows day, Labor in government would abolish the live cattle trade next. It isnt going to happen.

The Acting Prime Minister needs to retract his statement and apologise for unnecessarily worrying those who rely on the sector for their livelihood.