35°C is the line.
Make It Law.

 

Sign the WA petition to Parliament. There is no law stopping animals from being loaded onto live export ships in extreme heat. We’re working hard to change that.

Make It Law: Heat Policy — Sign the WA Petition

WA Residents Only  ·  Takes 2 Minutes  ·  Petition Closes 12 May 2026

Sign the WA Petition to Parliament

This petition is addressed to the WA Legislative Council, calling on Parliament to protect animals in the live export supply chain from extreme heat. Every signature goes directly on the parliamentary record.

Construction workers at Fremantle Port can walk off at 35°C. The animals being loaded beside them have no equivalent protection under any Australian law.

Sign the WA Petition Opens the official WA Parliament form
  • 1Click above to open the official WA Parliament petition form
  • 2Enter your full name, suburb, postcode, and email address
  • 3Check your inbox and click the confirmation link from parliament.wa.gov.au
  • 4Your signature is added to the official parliamentary record
Sign the Petition → Support the Campaign →
What we're asking Parliament to do

Five Enforceable Reforms

01

Temperature LimitNo loading of farmed animals when ambient temperatures reach or exceed 35°C.

02

Water AccessContinuous access to clean drinking water until the point of loading.

03

Shade at PortShade provided for all animals waiting at port before loading.

04

No Unnecessary DelaysTrucks to depart immediately after loading and unload immediately on arrival at port.

05

Feed & BeddingAccess to feed and bedding throughout transport and after loading.

The science behind the campaign

What the heat index shows

Temperature Humidity Index (THI) — cattle heat stress thresholds
Source: NACP / Gaughan et al. 2008 · THI combines air temperature and relative humidity to measure real heat burden on cattle
Beef cattle
No stress < 72
Mild 72–77
Significant 78–86 · Bos taurus
Significant 87–98 · All breeds
Severe ≥ 99 · All breeds
▲ Fremantle loading day (THI ≈ 87) — on a hot loading day at 39°C with high humidity, all beef breeds are in significant heat stress. There is no law stopping loading at this level.
Dairy cattle
No stress < 68
Low–mild 68–71
Mild–mod. 72–79
Mod.–severe 80–89
Severe ≥ 90
No stress
Mild
Significant (Bos taurus)
Significant (all breeds) — Fremantle loading day
Severe
Source: NACP Cattle Thermal Stress Forecasts · Gaughan et al. (2008) · Wang et al. (2018)
The journey before the ship

Four stages. The harm starts before the ship.

Stage 1
The Truck

Up to 8+ hours in a sealed metal vehicle. No legal water limit. No journey-time ceiling. The heat load clock starts here.

Stage 2
The Port Yard

Hot concrete radiating heat onto the steel trucks they are stuck in. Direct sun. Crowded pens. No air circulation. No shade required by law. 

Stage 3
The Ramp

The moment the law could intervene. On days of extreme heat, THI reaches 87+. No temperature ceiling. No mandatory vet inspection.

Stage 4
The Ship

Days, sometimes weeks, through tropical waters. Whatever protections exist at sea, they cannot undo the heat load animals carry from the truck, the yard, and the ramp. The loading day sets the baseline for everything that follows.

“Community expectations have shifted. Western Australians do not accept animals being treated as expendable cargo in conditions that would trigger safety interventions for humans and other farmed animals.”

— Hon. Amanda Dawn, Animal Justice Party, WA Legislative Council

Make It Law.

Add your name to the WA Parliamentary petition. Takes 2 minutes. WA residents only. Closes 12 May 2026.

Sign the Petition Now

After signing, check your email for a confirmation link from the WA Parliament.
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