Members of a successful class action against the federal government's suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia in 2011 are still waiting for compensation — and the delay is costing taxpayers more than $1 million a week.
It has been more than two years since the Federal Court ruled in favour of the cattle industry but only the lead claimants, the Brett Cattle Company, have received a payout.
Claimants received a letter from law firm Minter Ellison this month providing an update, indicating proceedings were about halfway in a 10-step process.
The chief executive of the NT Cattlemen's Association, Will Evans, says the ongoing delays are disappointing.
"This is now a moral obligation on government to get this finalised," he said.
"We're now more than two years from a court case that determined the action [in 2011] was illegal and we're still waiting [for compensation] and that's too long."
The final settlement sum is understood to be about $1.2 billion, but it is the accumulating interest payments that look set to cost government and taxpayers dearly.
Mr Evans says according to lawyers, the interest on the claim sum is now more than $1 million a week, putting the total bill over $2 billion.
"It's a huge amount of interest and I think that number will continue to increase the longer this takes," he said.
"What we're looking for is a quick, prompt resolution to this, and a commitment from government that there will be resources in this next federal budget to assist in getting this done."
In response to an ABC Rural article this week which revealed the prime minister's senior agriculture adviser previously campaigned against live exports, Mr Evans said it raised some serious questions.
"What does it say to families still waiting to receive compensation, that one of the people likely to formulate the government's response to these sorts of inquiries was a leader in the lobbying effort pressuring government to ban the trade in 2011," he said.
The ABC has contacted the federal government for comment.
A report released by LiveCorp and Meat and Livestock Australia claims Australia's live cattle export trade contributes $1.4 billion to the national economy and employs 6,573 people, with more than 80 per cent of direct value being contributed by northern Australia.
