Cattle industry back in court chasing final payout for live export ban

Key players from across northern Australia's cattle industry have descended on Sydney, as the Federal Court looks to determine the level of compensation owed for the Gillard government's ill-fated ban on live exports to Indonesia.The cattle industry won its class action in 2020 when the Federal Court ruled a six-month order by then-agriculture minister Joe Ludwig, which banned the trade to Indonesia, was invalid and the minister committed the tort of misfeasance in public office by instituting the ban.Despite this, hundreds of claimants are still waiting for compensation.The cattle industry has claimed it is "coming with a vengeance" for compensation as it seeks a resolution.The class action against the Commonwealth submitted its final analysis of the financial impact of the ban, pinning the damage at $1.2 billion, with a further $800 million in interest in 2022.Only the lead claimant in the class action, the Brett Cattle Company, has been paid.Why hasn't compensation been paid?Essenti...