Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill
WOOL, HIDE AND SKIN DEALERS BILL
Page: 6745
Second Reading
Debate resumed from 18 February.
Mr PETER DEBNAM (Vaucluse) [10.00 a.m.]: The Opposition will not oppose this bill, which reflects recommendations made in the October 2000 report by the police Minister's Pastoral and Agricultural Crime Working Party. The working party included representatives from the New South Wales Farmers Association, the rural lands protection boards, New South Wales Agriculture and NSW Police. The Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Act 1935 was introduced to assist police in responding to stock theft and it set up a licensing regime for businesses dealing in unprocessed wool, hide and skins. It requires licensees to be fit and proper persons. The Act will be repealed and replaced with this bill.
This bill transfers administration of the licence scheme from Local Courts to the police. Licence fees are currently $10 per annum, but will be free of charge under the provisions of this bill, and will need to be renewed only triennially instead of annually. This legislation will apply to dealers in wool and hides of sheep and cattle but may be expanded to include other categories. The bill has the full support of the New South Wales Farmers Association, the Private Treaty Wool Merchants of Australia and the Inland Wool Brokers Association.
Mr GERARD MARTIN (Bathurst) [10.03 a.m.]: The Government welcomes bipartisan support for this important legislation, which fits neatly into the Government's policy of combating rural crime, and provides another link in the important chain of Government initiatives. Everyone knows that there has been rural crime, particularly the theft of stock, in Australia since white settlement. Ben Hall and Ned Kelly are well known to us from our reading of Australian history, and rural crime has always been a serious problem. In recent years good prices have been obtained for cattle and that has provided an incentive for people who make their living from illegal means to target rural areas.
In 2000 the Pastoral and Agricultural Crime Working Party gathered representatives from the New South Wales Farmers Association, the rural lands protection boards, NSW Agriculture and NSW Police to scrutinise how rural crime was being handled. The group identified that the Wool, Hide And Skin Dealers Act 1935 should be reviewed to fit in with modern policing methods. One of the important provisions of this legislation is the transfer of power from the courts to the police. The working party also suggested that rural crime investigators should become part of the policing effort. When the former Stock Squad lost its title some consternation was expressed by Opposition members but, as time passed, that proved not to be a problem because 32 rural crime investigators have been appointed to 25 local area commands throughout the State, and have better resources to carry out their duties.
The strengthening of the legislation is an important part of addressing rural crime. At one stage it was suggested that rural crime investigators should be based at Flemington, and it is to the great credit of the former Minister for Police that he rejected that suggestion in favour of rural crime investigators being appointed to 25 local area commands. The bill changes the criteria for determining whether an applicant for a licence is a fit and proper person to be involved in the industry. Wool, hide and skin dealing is a very extensive industry. Before I was elected to Parliament I was chairman of an abattoir at Blayney, so I know from personal experience that it is an important subsidiary industry to the abattoir industry. Some companies have found that tanning hides is a good niche market, which makes this legislation even more important.
The bill also provides police with more extensive powers so that they can trace wool, hides and skins from the time they leave the abattoirs. People involved in the industry will be able to be more confident in the improved scientific approach that will be taken to detecting theft. This legislation, which has been well prepared over the past three years, provides an important link in the chain of this Government's policies that are designed to combat rural crime. I commend the bill to the House. I look forward during the debate to contributions from members on both sides of the Chamber that reflect their bipartisan support for this bill.
Mr TONY McGRANE (Dubbo) [10.08 a.m.]: I support the bill, which is long overdue. It has been a long time since the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Act has been reviewed in depth. As the honourable member for Bathurst, who preceded me in this debate, stated, the preparation of this legislation involved a two-year consultative process with industry representatives. The number of wool, hide and skin dealers is decreasing. Once every town had a wool, hide and skin dealer in its community but that is no longer the case. Wool, skins and hides are very valuable, so there is a clear need for regulation and effective policing. The Government has addressed that need by appointing 32 rural crime investigators throughout 25 local area commands in New South Wales. Criminal elements in rural areas that are stealing and moving stock ought to be brought to justice.
The stealing of stock has been a growth industry for a long time. Today's transportation methods allow stock to be moved thousands of kilometres overnight, which means that cattle stolen from one State can be in another State by the next morning. It is therefore very difficult to detect stolen stock. Given the high value of sheep and cattle today, appropriate mechanisms need to be in place to establish when stock are slaughtered. Legislation such as this is needed to assist police in bringing to justice the criminal element in rural areas, and I therefore support the bill.
Mr GEOFF CORRIGAN (Camden) [10.10 a.m.]: I support the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill, the overview of which reads:
This Bill contains provisions arising as a result of a departmental review of the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Act 1935 conducted in the context of a National Competition Policy review. Under the 1935 Act, licences are issued by a Local Court and are required by any person buying or selling wool, hide or skins of various animals (although there are certain exemptions). This Bill requires only those in the business of buying and selling wool, hide or skins to be licensed by the Commissioner of Police. The obligations created by this Bill are concerned with identifying and reporting wool, hides or skins that may have been stolen and are very similar to those imposed on pawnbrokers and dealers in second-hand goods.
Obviously it is not necessary to debate the bill in great detail, because it is supported by both the Opposition and the Government. It is a good outcome of the national competition policy review. We do not see many good outcomes of national competition policy reviews, particularly in relation to bottle shops and so on. The bill provides for the Commissioner of Police to grant a free three-year licence. The Minister's office has advised me that he does not expect a rush of applications for licences, given that they are now free. The strict licensing requirements will probably preclude many people from applying for licences to become wool, hide and skin dealers.
The electorate of Camden has the largest dairy industry in the Southern Hemisphere. As the honourable member for Dubbo pointed out, sheep and cattle have a large economic value; indeed, they are among the most important industries in Australia. Occasionally there are outbreaks of cattle duffing and sheep stealing in Camden, particularly in the Southern Highlands. I support the call of the honourable member for Bathurst for stock police to be stationed in local area commands, rather than being centralised. The bill establishes a comprehensive database to assist stock police in their work and provide a surety to existing wool, hide and skin dealers. I note that the Minister advised the Legislative Review Committee that the bill will not be implemented until the appropriate infrastructure is in place and police training has been undertaken so they are able to properly implement the bill's provisions. I commend the Minister and his office for that, and I support the bill.
Mr DARYL MAGUIRE (Wagga Wagga) [10.13 a.m.]: I will speak only briefly in support of the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill as other members have outlined the detail of it. It is important that the bill be supported and that its intent be understood. I wish to point out some of the statistics relating to stock theft and acknowledge the enormous cost to people in rural areas. The honourable member for Camden also expressed concerns about stock theft in his electorate. The New South Wales crime statistics for stock theft for 1998 to 2002 reveal that in 1998 there were 785 stock thefts, representing 12.4 per cent of the total stock population; 790 stock thefts in 1999, or 12.4 per cent; 757 stock thefts in 2000, or 11.7 per cent; 944 stock thefts in 2001, or 14.5 per cent; and 837 stock thefts in 2002, or 12.8 per cent.
It is not only stock that are being stolen in rural areas. Products such as wheat and lucerne are also being stolen—basically anything that is not bolted down. It is a major problem in rural areas. The Government has made several announcements about resources being made available to the stock squad. With great fanfare it announced that an additional 32 stock squad police would be employed across the State, and that they would be given four-wheel drive vehicles, resources, and so on. However, more resources are needed to bring this problem under control. An article in the Daily Telegraph reads:
The drought has brought about a major surge in the black market for stolen hay and feed grain. Opportunistic thieves are cashing in on farmers' hardships, police said yesterday.
Dozens of cases have been reported of feed grain and hay being stolen from farms and storage areas across the State. The thefts come as the drought increases the scarcity of animal feed production, more than doubling some prices. Prices of a bale of good quality lucerne hay has risen from about $6 eight months ago to $16 now.
A tonne of wheat costs farmers about $400.
I will lay upon the table for members' edification several articles referring to losses suffered by farmers. An article in the Sunday Telegraph of 18 May 2003 reported:
Last year, sheep and cattle worth $1.7 million were reported stolen. One grazier estimates he has lost stock and property worth $200,000 in the past 12 years.
This is the other side of stock theft that is not covered by the bill. However, the bill will go some way towards addressing the losses that rural communities are suffering. It is a positive step to ensure that licensees obtain evidence of the identity of the suppliers of wool, hide and skins, but more needs to be done. Many farms are located in remote areas, which means that neighbouring farmers are not in a position to monitor what is happening on the farms and it is not possible to implement a neighbourhood watch type of scheme. The material I have put forward today clearly demonstrates that farming communities are suffering losses as a result of stock theft. Obviously, insurance companies and the wider community are also suffering. I urge the Government to provide more resources to stock squads to enable them to police the large rural areas they manage.
Much has been said about police numbers, and it has been suggested that the police service is overresourced. I suggest that some of those resources could be provided to rural stock squads to better enable it to locate the people who are committing these crimes and bring them to justice. The statistics on stock theft speak for themselves. Crime statistics for regional and rural New South Wales are high. Stock squads need adequate resources to do their job and ensure that adequate police are on the beat. They also need the assistance of legislators to ensure that when people who commit stock theft are caught they are brought to justice and appropriate sentences are applied. Stock squad police need the Government's support in seeking to reduce the horrifying statistics I have brought to the attention of the House.
Ms LINDA BURNEY (Canterbury) [10.19 a.m.]: Like other speakers, I will speak only briefly on the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill as it is fairly straightforward and has bipartisan support. The other day when I was speaking in the debate on the animal diseases legislation the honourable member for Lismore queried why I would speak on the subject. I am a country girl from a very small community.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The honourable member for Lismore will restrain his enthusiasm.
Ms LINDA BURNEY: I had a pet poddy-lamb, and her name was Betty. So I am speaking to this bill on behalf of Betty. But, seriously, I come from a very small rural community and was raised by a drover, my great uncle. I lived on a stock route and spent many hours with him. I clearly remember that when the cattle and sheep were driven along the stock route the kids would follow the drovers to get all the sick poddy-calves and sick poddy-lambs. So I do have some connection with rural issues, tenuous though it may be.
The object of the bill is to regulate persons who carry on the business of buying or selling the wool, hides or skins of cows, sheep and certain other animals. The honourable member for Camden has outlined the objects of the bill so I will not repeat them. While I was in another profession I had discussions with people from rural areas who ran rather large rural properties and I came to understand the devastating effect on the viability of people on the land of the sort of rural crime referred to by the honourable member for Bathurst. It can threaten their very existence on the land. One can understand the importance of the bill in that context. Honourable members who have already spoken in the debate have referred to the resources committed and to the Stock Squad. The bill is a significant piece of legislation in view of the size of New South Wales and the importance of the rural economy.
The honourable member for Camden has already noted that in 2000 a committee was established to work toward development of the bill. It had representatives from NSW Farmers, rural lands protection boards, NSW Agriculture and NSW Police, ensuring that the major players and the people with expertise in and understanding of the issues were involved in the formulation of the bill. The bill has seven parts and three schedules. Clause 4 clearly defines "hide", "skin", "wool", "buy", and "sell". In clause 5 (a) "wool, hide or skin dealer" is defined as "a person who buys wool, hides or skins for the purpose of selling that wool or those hides or skins, or in connection with the person's business of selling wool, hides or skins, except where the wool, hide or skin is bought by an overseas wool buyer at auction, is bought by a co-operative society registered under the Co-operatives Act, is sold at public auction, is bought or sold for the purposes of education or research, or is bought or sold in any other circumstances prescribed by the regulations".
The bill also deals with record keeping, which is crucial to reducing rural crime, and will put more rigour into the buying and selling of hides, skins and wool. The bill also covers licensing, offences and the role of the Commissioner of Police. Clause 34 provides that a search warrant for premises may be obtained by a police officer if the officer believes on reasonable grounds that a provision of the bill has been contravened and there is on the premises evidence of a contravention of a provision of the bill or the regulations. I commend the bill to the House.
Mr THOMAS GEORGE (Lismore) [10.26 a.m.]: I support the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill. Previous speakers have stated the purpose of the bill so there is no need for me to repeat their remarks. The bill is a result of the recommendations of the pastoral and Agricultural Crime Working Party, which was formed back in 2000. Its recommendations covered stock identification, police powers, training specialist rural crime investigators and the regulation of wool, hide and skin dealers. The bill will provide NSW Police with the tools they need to investigate the illegal trade in wool, hides and skins. The meetings of the working party revealed the problems associated with rural crime. The honourable member for Wagga Wagga stated that reported losses amount to about $1.75 million a year—and that is only for the crime that is reported. Much stock theft and rural crime is not reported because people feel that it is a waste of time to report it.
I pay tribute to the rural crime working party, particularly for its recommendations for the reappointment of rural crime investigators, who have done a magnificent job right across the State. They have certainly been appreciated by the rural community. I emphasise that they need adequate resources to continue their work. In the Richmond local area command the rural crime investigator is on his own. It is impossible for individuals to track down rural crime or stock theft, but I recognise the job that rural investigators do on their own. However, when they are tracking down stock theft or other rural crime and require the assistance of another person they should be provided with that resource immediately. I assure honourable members that stock theft investigators in this State and country do not start work at 9.00 a.m. and finish work at 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday. They work 24 hours, seven days a week when they are on a trail. They can be working in the yards one day and within 24 hours are working in the top area of Queensland, not just the top of this State. When they are on the trail of stock thieves, they need the resources of other officers.
I compliment the honourable member for Canterbury on her knowledge of the stock industry, and it is great that there is bipartisan support for this legislation. The implementation of the National Livestock Identification Scheme is an important step for the rural industry in Australia. Again, I call on the Government to support the producers of this State financially to enable the National Livestock Identification Scheme to be implemented. Whatever scheme is put in place in New South Wales must be compatible with the rest of Australia. A national scheme not only will help reduce rural crime in this State but will benefit the meat industry in general and our export markets throughout the world. I have pleasure in supporting the Wool, Hide and Skin Dealers Bill. I congratulate the Government on introducing this long overdue and much-needed legislation.
Mr NEVILLE NEWELL (Tweed—Parliamentary Secretary) [10.32 a.m.], in reply: I thank honourable members representing the electorates of Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Lismore, Canterbury, Camden, Bathurst and Lismore for their earnest and keen contributions to the debate. In particular, I thank the Opposition for its support. I commend the bill to the House.
Motion agreed to.
Bill read a second time and passed through remaining stages.