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Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export

Current status

This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.

Policy area

Industry, agriculture & resources

What does this bill do?

Australia would ban exporting live sheep by sea from 1 May 2026, setting a firm national end date for this trade.

Why was it introduced?

The live sheep export phase-outThe planned winding down of the trade so live sheep exports by sea stop completely on the chosen date. lacked a firm end date in law, leaving the 1 May 2026 deadline unsecured. This bill fixes that by amending the Export Control Act 2020The main export law this bill changes so live sheep exports by sea can be banned from a set date. to ban live sheep exports by sea from Australian territoryThe legal phrase used here to cover places from which the export ban would apply, not just mainland Australia. from 1 May 2026, including lambs.

Broader context

The Export Control Act 2020The main export law this bill changes so live sheep exports by sea can be banned from a set date. already governed prohibited exports, but the planned phase-out of live sheep exports by sea still lacked a firm end date in law, and Senator Mehreen Faruqi said Australians had had enough of the cruelty tied to the trade. Her 2024 bill responded by trying to lock a nationwide ban into legislation from 1 May 2026, including lambs, but it lapsed at the end of the Parliament on 21 July 2025 so that deadline was not secured by this bill.

Key criticism

The collected source set for this run does not include a sourced public criticism of the bill. The page therefore does not identify a verified case against it from the available evidence.

Who supported it?

Senator Mehreen Faruqi introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Greens.

Introduced in Senate 28 Feb 2024
Failed in Senate 21 July 2025
Did not reach House —
Did not become law —

Did it become law?

No

The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.

Final passage

No final passage

The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.

Time before failure

509 days

From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding

Official record

View on APH

Parliament of Australia bill page

Meaning

What does this bill do?

  1. Australia would ban exporting live sheep by sea from 1 May 2026, setting a firm national end date for this trade.

  2. From 1 May 2026, businesses would no longer be allowed to ship live sheep by sea from any Australian territoryThe legal phrase used here to cover places from which the export ban would apply, not just mainland Australia..

  3. The ban would cover lambs as well as adult sheep, so exporters could not avoid the new rule by sending younger animals.

  4. The new law would start the day after Royal AssentThe formal approval a bill gets from the Governor-General before it becomes law, even if some parts start later., even though the export ban itself would not take effect until 1 May 2026.

Show source excerpts
  1. The purpose of the Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export Bill 2024 is to legislate the end date for the phase-out of live sheep export by sea, to be 1 May 2026.
    Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export explanatory memorandum
  2. The bill amends the Export Control Act 2020 to prohibit livestock sheep export by sea from Australian territory on and after 1 May 2026.
    Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export explanatory memorandum
  3. This item inserts in section 12 of the Export Control Act 2020 a definition of sheep so that any reference to ‘sheep’ includes the young of that animal. This has the effect that the prohibition in item 2 applies to livestock sheep of any age.
    Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export explanatory memorandum
  4. This clause provides that the whole of the Act commences the day after the Act receives Royal Assent.
    Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export explanatory memorandum

Context

Broader context for this bill

The Export Control Act 2020The main export law this bill changes so live sheep exports by sea can be banned from a set date. already governed prohibited exports, but the planned phase-out of live sheep exports by sea still lacked a firm end date in law, and Senator Mehreen Faruqi said Australians had had enough of the cruelty tied to the trade. Her 2024 bill responded by trying to lock a nationwide ban into legislation from 1 May 2026, including lambs, but it lapsed at the end of the Parliament on 21 July 2025 so that deadline was not secured by this bill.

  1. 2020

    Export Control Act 2020The main export law this bill changes so live sheep exports by sea can be banned from a set date. leaves room for live sheep exports by sea

    The existing export law set the framework for permanently prohibited goods but did not itself fix 1 May 2026 in legislation as the end date for live sheep exports by sea.

    Legislate the Date to End Live Sheep Export explanatory memorandum ↗
  2. 28 Feb 2024

    Senator Faruqi says cruelty in the live sheep trade should end

    In her second reading speechThe speech where a senator or MP explains why they want the bill passed and argues for it in public., Senator Faruqi said Australians had had enough of the cruelty of live sheep export and used that case to press for an enforceable end date.

    Hansard ↗
  3. 28 Feb 2024

    Bill is introduced to lock in a 1 May 2026 ban

    The bill was introduced to amend the Export Control Act 2020The main export law this bill changes so live sheep exports by sea can be banned from a set date. so live sheep exports by sea from Australian territoryThe legal phrase used here to cover places from which the export ban would apply, not just mainland Australia. would be banned from 1 May 2026, with lambs included as well as adult sheep.

    Australian Parliament House ↗
  4. 21 July 2025

    Bill lapses at the end of the Parliament

    The bill lapsed when the Parliament ended, leaving its proposed statutory deadline for ending live sheep exports by sea unpassed.

    Parliamentary timeline ↗

Legislative route

How did it move through Parliament?

House Senate
Introduced 28 Feb 2024

The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.

Introduced and read a first time

Second reading opened 28 Feb 2024

A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.

Second reading moved

Scrutiny of Bills review 20 Mar 2024

The scrutiny committee recorded that it considered the bill in Scrutiny Digest 4 of 2024.

Considered

Collected source bundle
Lapsed at end of Parliament 21 July 2025

The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.

Key criticism

The main case against this bill

The collected source set for this run does not include a sourced public criticism of the bill. The page therefore does not identify a verified case against it from the available evidence.

No sourced criticism was collected in this run; this should not be read as proof that no criticism existed.

Votes

Recorded votes

No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.

Parliamentary debate

Who spoke, and what they said

Start here — lead voices

Sponsor speech Supports

Mehreen Faruqi

Australian Greens • Senator 28 Feb 2024

Faruqi strongly supports the bill and wants live sheep exports ended on 1 May 2026.

Read in Hansard ↗

All speeches by bloc

Greens

1 speaker · 1 support

  1. Mehreen Faruqi ★ Faruqi strongly supports the bill and wants live sheep exports ended on 1 May 2026.
    “The Parliament is sitting here waiting to pass legislation and make this a reality. The government must support this bill and put an end to the cruelty and suffering of live sheep export once and for all.”

    Australian Greens • Senator • 28 Feb 2024

    Read the full speech in Hansard ↗

Record

Full record

Full chat