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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 9 Hansard (3 September) . . Page.. 2798 ..

MR CORBELL (continuing):

That is why today we will be moving a series of important amendments which recognise the ACT's obligations in regard to interstate relations. I have to make it very clear from the beginning that the Labor Party will not be supporting these Bills unless those amendments are accepted. Most important of all, these amendments will provide job security for those people who are currently employed by the producer of battery eggs in Canberra. Contrary to the Minister's assertions, Labor's amendments aim to give the interests of the people who work at Parkwood a very high priority.

Labor's position, unlike the position put forward by the Greens and, I must say, by the Government, has been developed after discussions with the major producer of battery eggs in the ACT as well as the union that represents the people who work at that establishment. The Labor Party has made the effort to talk to the people affected by this decision, and we understand that this change can take place only over a significant period of time, and only within the constraints accepted by the Territory in national legislation, the Mutual Recognition Act.

Labor's position is also being developed in the light of the deep concerns of a large number of people in the Canberra community about the problems posed by the production of eggs by the battery system. Foremost also in our minds on this issue are those concerns, significantly the constraints that the system of battery cage production has on the natural behaviour of the animals kept in the cages, behaviours such as roosting, nesting, scratching and taking dust baths.

Alternative methods of egg production such as a barn system, which is still a method of intensive farming, are now being developed in Victoria with the cooperation of the RSPCA and the Australian and New Zealand Federation of Animal Societies. These systems demonstrate that alternative methods of intensive farming for the production of eggs do work. Importantly, they also demonstrate that, like any other method of intensive farming, they require careful management to deal with the problems of disease and food quality. The ALP believes that these systems of egg production are viable and safe - otherwise, those eggs would not be selling at the moment - and that they therefore do present an alternative method of farming to the system of battery cage production.

Ultimately, the decision we make on this issue is in many ways a moral one. Labor believes it is appropriate that we signal the ACT's intention to address the community's concern about the system of battery cage production. That is why we are supporting these Bills in principle, but that is also why we are making a number of very significant amendments. We make those amendments because we in no way want to jeopardise the jobs of the people who work in the farm at Parkwood at the moment. These amendments will make a change in the system of production possible over a period of time and they will make sure that the jobs of people at Parkwood are secure.

I would like to briefly outline some of the amendments I will be moving later in the debate today. The first amendment, and the most important amendment, is in relation to the commencement clause on the ban on battery cages in the ACT. The amendment Labor is proposing today changes the commencement clause for clauses 4 and 5.

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