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  4. 7 March 2001

Stock Theft

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About this Item
SpeakersGeorge Mr Thomas; Whelan Mr Paul; Slack-Smith Mr Ian; McGrane Mr Tony
BusinessMatter of Public Importance


    STOCK THEFT
Page: 12377
    Matter of Public Importance

    Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [6.06 p.m.]: I bring to the attention of the House the growing scourge of stock theft in New South Wales which is robbing farmers of their livelihoods. In the 1998-99 financial year stock theft cost this State more than $1.4 million and, bearing in mind today's costs, that figure would now be well in excess of $3 million. Under the Carr Government the New South Wales stock squad was abolished. As a result of that, stock theft has been on the rise—a rise that continues. In recent times there has been a spate of serious stock theft across rural electorates. Farmers deserve to know how the Carr Labor Government will tackle the growing scourge of stock theft in New South Wales. Farmers need to know that thieves will be punished. The Carr Government has sat on its hands on this issue. Although part of the rural crime working party report was tabled in this House today, I remind the Minister that it was the National Party that put pressure on the Carr Government regarding stock theft in New South Wales. In answer to those concerns the Carr Government established the rural crime working party in May last year.

    I visited various parts of the State, talking to people associated with the livestock industry. I sought recommendations from them. I attended meetings at Casino, Yass, Narrandera, Mudgee, Coonabarabran, Walgett, Narrabri and Nyngan, to name only a few of the towns where meetings were held. Those meetings were held with stock producers, police, stock and station agents, livestock carriers, meat operators, abattoir members, rural counsellors and representatives of New South Wales Farmers, rural land protection boards and local government. In case the Minister does not realise it, those people are the industry. It was evident at those meetings that the first item that needed to be addressed was the stock identification system.

    This matter is a priority, and it should be a matter of priority for the rural crime working party. A national stock identification system must be implemented immediately, as indicated in our submission to the working party. Earlier today the Minister for Police referred to stock statements. I ask the Minister and the rural crime working party to work in conjunction with industry and the Livestock Carriers Association when preparing stock statements. Another major issue of concern relates to the re-establishment of a stock squad. Today the Minister said in this House:
        Farmers said that they would work effectively with a police officer who knew the difference between a hereford and a black angus.

    Is the Minister aware that there are also red angus?

    Mr Whelan: I am assuming they are not colour blind.

    Mr GEORGE: Police officers who work in this industry must come from a rural background and they must have some knowledge of livestock. If they do not have that background no-one will be able to teach them anything about livestock. I refer again to what the Minister said earlier today in the House. He said that the position of rural crime investigator would be created in each of the 32 non-metropolitan local area commands across New South Wales. I am concerned that the Minister intends to appoint only 32 crime investigators. Will those positions comprise 32 members of the Police Service who are already in local area commands, or will the Minister create an additional 32 positions?

    I am concerned about what will happen when those police officers have days off, for example, sick leave, stress leave and other leave to which they are entitled. Who will investigate rural crime when those officers are not available? Those officers cannot be expected to be available 24 hours a day. If they are expected to be available 24 hours a day we would require a force of super policemen. The National Party report to the rural crime working group referred also to the fact that a specialist magistrate must be appointed who understands the rural needs of this State. He or she must understand what goes on in rural areas.

    Another issue that the Government must take into account is on-the-spot fines. I note that the Minister commented on that issue earlier today. How does the Minister intend to strengthen laws to give security to people in isolated homesteads? Will on-the-spot fines also be imposed on trespassers, unauthorised pig hunters and poachers of feral goats? Stock theft and rural crime are major concerns to members of the National Party and their constituents. The cost of such crime to people in rural areas is immeasurable. We must tighten up measures and immediately re-establish the stock squad. A national stock identification system must be implemented immediately. Stock statements must be available to interstate carriers.

    I cannot emphasise too strongly the importance of a stock squad in New South Wales. At present people in rural areas are not able to report stock theft. Whenever they go into a police station—and this is no reflection on individual police officers; it is the system that I am addressing—police officers are not able to address their needs. The Minister said earlier that they must be able to identify whether the stock that has been stolen is a hereford or a black or red angus. The Minister must listen to the people of rural New South Wales and address this major problem. When the Minister selects people to fill the crime investigator positions to which he referred earlier, they must come from a farming background and have some understanding of the livestock industry. I hope that this matter of public importance receives the support of all honourable members.

    Mr WHELAN (Strathfield—Minister for Police) [6.15 p.m.]: It is timely that this matter is being debated today. Earlier today I announced in the Parliament that the Government would adopt a series of recommendations put forward by the rural crime working party. Members of that committee—John Moore and Joe Lane of the New South Wales Farmers Association; Mr Les Tree, Director-General of Police and other police officers—dealt with a variety of issues. Let me say something about some of the recommendations which are still in the process of being developed.

    The most serious aspect addressed by that committee and reported on recently by New England University was that trespass on or illegal entry into property was a bigger problem in rural New South Wales than people first imagined. It causes problems. The Government is examining that issue as it involves the serious aspect of the criminality of trespass rather than someone going onto land and accidentally shooting cattle, which is also a serious offence as a farmer has to bear the cost of that loss. The Government is working with the Attorney General and it is actively pursuing that issue.

    I am sure the honourable member was jesting when he suggested that these recommendations resulted from pressure by the National Party. Quite a few Government members have received complaints from members of their local communities about rural theft as distinct from simply stock theft. We are talking about rural theft, not only about the theft of red or black angus or herefords. Rural theft is a problem that is caused through isolation or the tyranny of distance. We must confront those issues. In the ordinary course of events, and as result of these recommendations and the action taken by this Government, I am happy to try to ensure that a national approach is taken. However, that will not prevent the inaction of members of the National Party-Liberal Party Government in Canberra while we are fixing up the problem in New South Wales.

    Mr Slack-Smith: Take the lead.

    Mr WHELAN: We are taking the lead. We are leading the nation and we will continue to lead the nation. When these measures are formulated, which will not take too long, I will take them to the Australian Police Ministers Council as I want members of that council to understand that this is a national problem. My colleague the Minister for Agriculture will introduce accredited livestock transportation documents. We must not underestimate the importance of those travelling stock statements. The honourable member for Lismore introduced a red herring into the debate. I want him to think seriously about calling for the re-establishment of a stock squad. It is a trap into which he should not fall. Contrary to the recommendations of the royal commission, there is nothing to be gained from having 32 officers waiting in Sydney, Dubbo and other major centres. Those officers should all be employed in rural New South Wales, and that is what the Government is doing. There will be 32 members of the New South Wales Police Service in rural New South Wales. We have record numbers of police in New South Wales. There are almost 1,000 more police in New South Wales than—

    [Interruption]

    No, we are right on target. There are 961—almost 1,000—more police officers than when I was appointed as Minister for Police, and they are located all over the State. That was the Government's commitment, and that commitment will be met. Honourable members opposite should not fall into the bad habit of suggesting the appointment of a stock squad. What is needed is police working with other sections of the Police Service. They will work in conjunction with the Highway Patrol; they will work with the Department of Agriculture in rural and regional towns. They will be required to work with other avenues of the Police Service when serious crime is involved. For example, for the purpose of identifying tyre tracks, horse hoofprints, fingerprints on fencing, et cetera, work with the forensic unit may be involved. They will work in concert with all of the Police Service.

    We do not need the specialist squad that the honourable member for Lismore referred to. We need the whole of the Police Service—more than 13,400 officers—working together to reduce the incidence of crime, whether it be rural crime or suburban crime. The honourable member asked whether we were going to work with industry. We are certainly going to work with industry. We are working with industry and representatives of industry. Joe Lane and John Moore are both members of the committee or working party and have provided invaluable assistance. I want the committee to be regarded as an open book because this is the first time any government has examined this serious issue caused by isolation and the tyranny of distance. This is the first time that anyone has ever looked at the introduction of travelling stock statements, as the Minister for Agriculture will be doing to ensure that rural interests are protected.

    The New South Wales Police Service recruits thousands of police, but the honourable member would be aware that there is an attrition level. Officers retire from the Police Service. Officers are recruited from a cross-section of the New South Wales community. It is ridiculous, frankly, to suggest that we do not recruit rural men and women who have experience of country life and who are able to determine the difference between a red angus and a black angus. I accept that I would have a little difficulty doing so, but I know that there are a lot of police officers who have had a lifetime's experience on a farm and who would be able to do it.

    The Government is going to set up a new training course at Goulburn for police officers to deal with investigation and prevention of rural crime. Honourable members opposite should not decry the fact that we are developing a full-year post-graduate course in rural crime investigation. The problems associated with rural crime are linked to the feeling of alienation that people in regional and rural New South Wales experience. They are on their own and one has to feel some sympathy for a farmer and his family, particularly when the farmer may be absent and his wife, perhaps with a young child, is at home on a large property a long way from the nearest neighbour. I treat this matter very seriously.

    I said there would be 32 officers but that does not necessarily mean that that is the end of it. They will come from among the existing record numbers of police that we have in New South Wales. They are going to work with industry but, of course, police officers have to have some time off. The Police Service must allow its officers to work without stress. The technical part of policing is very important to the Police Service. Although there have been a few problems associated with the Police Assistance Line, they are being fixed. Telstra has been called in to assist. That system is vital to people in rural New South Wales. It is most important for those people to be able to report crime—that is, not only serious crime, but a crime that may be regarded as important. It is designed to give the people of rural New South Wales a reporting mechanism.

    The incident goes from the Police Assistance Line on to the Computer Operated Police System. It is recorded entry, which is very important. I would mention that we may be a victim of our own success because, in December and January, the Police Assistance Line received 130,000 phone calls. That is a massive number of calls and far exceeded any estimate that we had made. It might be due to a number of factors which I do not have the time now to go into, but I shall do so at some other time. I believe I have answered all the questions. This is a very good package and a very good policy.

    Mr George: Are the 32 recruits extra police?

    Mr WHELAN: I answered that. I said they came from existing resources, from the record number of police we have in New South Wales. But that is not the end of it. That is not necessarily to say that we are restricted to those 32. This is the first grant. [Time expired.]

    Mr SLACK-SMITH (Barwon) [6.25 p.m.]: I think the Minister is having himself on because in 1998 there were 766 reports of stock stolen in New South Wales, compared with 234 in Queensland. In that year there was not one conviction in this State so far as stock theft was concerned, whereas Queensland had a 40 per cent success rate for convictions. The Minister referred to the tyranny of distance. The tyranny of distance in Queensland is far greater than that in New South Wales. I believe we can learn a lesson from Queensland. If the Minister is fair dinkum about stock theft he should take a leaf out of Queensland's book because at least Queensland has the runs on the board. In Queensland it is compulsory to identify stock.

    That is not the case in New South Wales. We have no law in New South Wales and farmers do not have to identify their stock. They do not have to earmark. They do not have to brand—freeze brand, hind brand or hot brand. They do not have to tag their stock, or use tattoos or electro-frequency tags. They do not have to do anything. What we find first of all in the case of stock theft is that identification is extremely difficult. Unfortunately, some people in New South Wales are silly, and I believe completely irresponsible, by not having any identification at all on some of their stock. On my property we earmark and we brand. As soon as we get electro-frequency tags, we will be using that as well for identification.

    Tonight, somewhere in New South Wales, if a person decides to do so, he could make $80,000 to $90,000 profit for one night's work—one road train of cattle. That is not bad for one night's work. The price of cattle is increasing and will continue to increase. These people are professionals; they are not amateurs simply strolling past who say, "Okay, I just want a killer. I will just knock one off." These people have spies and networks. With all due respect to the honourable member for Lismore, they are prepared to sell stolen stock. They know where to go and before first light or before the theft of the stock is discovered, these cattle could be 700 to 1,000 kilometres away. We are up against professionals.

    The Minister should go into regional and rural New South Wales. He will find that they want professionals in stock theft out there. I take the Minister's point about rural theft but I consider that stock theft is the most important issue. The spies are the ones who mostly go and flog items out of sheds and out of tractors. They are the ones getting information for the big hit later on. All right, 32 professional stock squad members, rural theft members, additional to the local area command we have already. That is great. Well done! It is a good move.

    Mr Whelan: I did not say that.

    Mr SLACK-SMITH: You did not say that? I take it back. I retract that statement. We would like to see one additional officer in all these areas. That would be a great help because I believe the officers in the bush are overworked anyway. Giving them another responsibility is definitely a big ask. I believe we need professionals to be involved. One of the biggest problems we have is identification. We have been working on trying to get the Minister for Agriculture to agree to become proactive and introduce electro-frequency tags in New South Wales, which can be put into the stock and kept from the cradle to the plate.

    Identification is important, not only for stock theft—which is a major issue—but also for exports, traceability and diseases. I hope we never have in Australia the types of diseases that are currently prevalent overseas, such as foot and mouth disease and mad cow disease. We must have identification. I refer to the travelling stock statements that are now being used. A number of people have told me that a truckie who can read and write can fudge it. Unfortunately, that is the kind of regard in which travelling stock statements are held. We had them a long time ago—they were a joke because you could write one out yourself and it was very difficult to prove anything. They must be tightened up. Police must be encouraged to attend stock sales, abattoirs, clearing sales, et cetera. The presence of police anywhere is important. If police walked through a sales yard in uniform it would make so much difference. We need the presence of police and identification. We need professionals who know the stock theft industry. These people are professionals and we need professionals to fight them. [Time expired.]

    Mr McGRANE (Dubbo) [6.30 p.m.], by leave: I support the comments made by the honourable member for Barwon. There are two areas in regard to rural theft: one is stock and the other is on-farm theft. Today we are dealing with stock theft. When the Minister for Police set up the working party a public hearing was held in Dubbo, as he indicated in answer to a question today. I thought that was a great public hearing because a cross-section of people involved in the stock industry were at that meeting. As has been indicated already, a good cross-section of people were on the working party—farmers organisations and the various peak bodies were involved. The Minister indicated earlier today that 32 people will specialise in stock in 32 different areas of the State. That is a start, but we have to build upon that.

    I welcome the Minister's statement but, unfortunately, as the honourable member for Barwon indicated, theft in stock is a growth industry and the people doing this are professionals. As honourable members have said, a farmer can lose $70,000 or $80,000 overnight—the stock can be 700 or 800 kilometres away, possibly in an abattoir. The honourable member for Barwon pointed out that the big problem in New South Wales is identification. One cannot have effective policing of theft in stock unless the Department of Agriculture has a proper identification standard or policy. The two areas have to be tied together. It is so easy for people involved in the stock theft industry these days, with mobile phones and communication in the country. Most properties now have a lot of vacant land, as two or three properties may have been amalgamated into one.

    Yards at these untended properties can be used and, as I have said, the people involved in the stock theft industry are professional, and they are becoming more professional. It is up to the government of the day to do something about it. It is an untenable situation. Stock is vulnerable to theft. I refer to general theft on farms. Thieves know when farmers go to town. They know when a farmer has left his property unattended. It is easy for these people to ring someone else and say, "Joe Blow is in town and he will probably be there for two or three hours. His property is vacant." They move in and load things onto trucks—the theft can be carried out within a very short time.

    A property in my area was raided. The first truck became bogged, so the thieves called up another truck and loaded the stuff onto it. They left the first truck—which had been stolen—bogged, but they still got away with all the gear. These people are very organised. It is an intolerable position for the police in these areas to be involved in this. As the Minister has indicated, most police do not know the difference between one breed of cattle and the other or, in regard to sheep, the difference between mutton and lamb. It is a difficult area for the police to be involved in. They need to undertake a specialised course. I am pleased that the Minister has announced that police will undertake a special course in regard to identification. Police will be trained to be more aware of the problems associated with livestock in New South Wales. I support the motion moved by the honourable member for Lismore.

    Mr GEORGE (Lismore) [6.35 p.m.], in reply: The Minister for Police referred to trespassers. Every member of this place would agree that the laws relating to trespass must be tightened up. Members on this side of the House and I will support anything that needs to be done to tighten up the laws in relation to trespassing. I agree that we are attacking rural crime. However, I am disappointed that the stock squads—or the stock police, as the Minister is going to establish them—are not additional police. The Minister has already heard in this House this afternoon from the honourable member for Maitland, in his private member's statement, that we do not have enough police on the ground. The Minister is now allocating more work to police in country areas.

    The Minister stated that the area commands have been allocated enough police. However, we do not have enough police doing the hard work on the beat—they are on stress leave, sick leave and holidays. Rural New South Wales is suffering as a result. We need additional police. The rural communities and the Coalition will certainly not accept anything less than additional police to handle this problem. I have no problem with the additional police carrying out other everyday duties. However, I am concerned that investigations do not continue when a police officer who has started to handle a rural crime case needs to take days off. We need additional police, especially police who are experienced in this type of problem.

    Mr Whelan: That is why you do not need a stock squad.

    Mr GEORGE: I accept that we do not have to call it a stock squad, but we need to have police who are specialists in that field. I remind the Minister for Police that some police officers have a rural background, and I encourage him to seek them out and to give them this opportunity. However, we will not accept anything less than additional police—we already do not have enough police on the ground in rural and regional areas. The Minister said he was working with the industry. I make a plea that he works with the Livestock Carriers Association when he comes up with any permit in relation to the transport of livestock.

    I call on the Minister for Agriculture, who is attending the Agricultural Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand this week, to come up with an identification system for the State and for Australia. This issue is urgent because of the problems being experienced by other countries. We need to be on top of the identification issue, not only because of cattle theft but because we export products to other countries. With the stock identification system, producers will need some sort of support to establish and implement the national identification scheme. The Government should be more than happy to provide financial support to producers to help them establish the national identification system. Members from country electorates will not accept anything less than additional police in their areas, because we need enough police on the ground to handle problems associated with rural crime in this State.

    Discussion concluded.

    [Madam Acting-Speaker (Ms Beamer) left the chair at 6.41 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.]

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