A Labor Party spokesperson on Thursday said an Albanese government would ban the trade, adding it had been in decline for the past two decades.
"An elected Albanese Labor Government will phase out live sheep exports in consultation with the industry and the West Australian Government on what needs to happen given this decline," they said in a statement.
But Anthony Albanese on Friday contradicted the comments, saying while there had been a change to Labor's policy it did not mean an end to live exports all together.
"The amount of live exports has halved in recent times and we'll continue the summer ban," he told reporters in Sydney on Friday.
"We will consult with state governments, in particular the Western Australian state government, but we'll also consult with the agricultural sector about about the issues around live sheep exports."
Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan said his government had put in place safeguards to keep the trade operating.
"We put in place rules that required a suspension of exports over the northern summer because of the shocking outcomes that were occurring, particularly in the summer months, up in the Persian Gulf," he told reporters on Thursday.
"And then were was additional vet checks and additional monitoring put in place on some of the ships. I think those measures are effective and I think they're appropriate."
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