Simon Crean (Hotham, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

to move:

That the House:

(1)

notes that:

(a)

strong and sustained export growth is essential for long-term economic prosperity and for providing more rewarding, well-paid jobs;

(b)

despite the resources boom, Australia has been seriously and consistently underperforming in relation to its export sector;

(c)

Australia’s average annual export growth rate over the past ten years is half that recorded under Labor;

(d)

Australia has now experienced 60 consecutive monthly trade deficits—the longest period of trade deficit on record;

(e)

the Government has failed to double the number of exporters by 2006, as it said it would; and

(f)

at the same time, the Government has halved the level of financial assistance to Australian exporters; and

(2)

calls on the Government to urgently adopt a comprehensive trade strategy to address the underperformance of Australia’s exports.

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