ALEC FURIOUS ABOUT REALITY CHECK

CEO of ALEC Mark Harvey Sutton has hit back and claimed Tony Brightling, an experienced live export figure is “Drastically off course” with his analysis of the viability of the live sheep export trade. In an odd statement, Harvey Sutton claimed that Brightling "has twice now commented in support of Labor’s malign ban on live sheep exports".  Even if we ignore the wording, this is a strange assertion as no-one reading the two Brightling opinion pieces would find any support of Labor's legislative changes. Both pieces would appear to claim that the trade is dying anyway and would seem (to an non-exporter) to be urging farmers not to invest in fighting something not worth fighting for and to suggest farmers move on, get more money out of the government, change practices etc rather than being hurt emotionally and financially by a trade that is dying with or without Labor's legislation.
And of course Harvey Sutton provided no explanation as to why there have been no big ships into Fremantle since the end of the NHS summer (September). The Al Messilah may be being patched up in China. But where is the Maysora? the Al Kuwait? the Ocean Drover? Anna Marra (Awassi Express)? Where are the exporters if all is so rosy? Could Tony Brighting perhaps be correct...more money and less red tape elsewhere so why bother with Australia?