Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig says it is not up to the federal government to provide cash assistance to out-of-pocket beef farmers.
Instead he wants industry body Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) to cough up $5 million in immediate compensation - a demand it's already refused once this week.
He'll meet with senior MLA executives again on Friday, and is expecting a different response.
"I expect it to be yes," Senator Ludwig told ABC Television on Thursday.
"MLA have got a responsibility for their producers ... the buck stops with the MLA."
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He said the MLA had already failed to maintain animal welfare standards in Indonesia and didn't need to compound it with a failure to assist Australian cattle producers.
Once the live export trade gets up and running again, he's promised a more thorough assessment of how it's handled the affair.
The government suspended all live animal exports to Indonesia last week for up to six months, as it attempts to bring slaughter processes there up to scratch.
But that doesn't mean Australian standards, which involves mandatory stunning.
"What I'd be keen to see is the OIE standard - that is the international standard and encourage stunning ... it's a much better way," Senator Ludwig said.
He confirmed that there may be some abattoirs in Indonesia that already meet those preferred standards, but said that was only the "end point" of the supply chain.
The industry working group has been asked to work "as quickly and as hard and as fast as they can" to ensure the whole supply chain is secure.
Asked about the strength of any potential legal claims for compensation, Senator Ludwig said his priority was to get exports happening again as soon as possible.
"It's important to focus on the issue here - this is about getting the trade back up and running as quickly as we can."
He said the government was within its legal rights by choosing to suspend trade given the concerns over animal welfare.
