Craig Emerson (Rankin, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Competitiveness) Share this | Hansard source

I will seek to complete my answers to the previous set of questions and then move on to the current set. I have been asked about the Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and the impact of the suspension of live cattle exports to Indonesia on our broader relations with Indonesia. The fact is that Australia enjoys a very good relationship with Indonesia at all levels, especially between the President and the Prime Minister and ministers and their counterparts. I repeat that I see trade minister Gita Wirjawan very often. In fact, I discussed with him in Surabaya at the APEC trade ministers meeting the issue of beef exports, where he indicated that he was seeking to expand beef imports into Indonesia.

In terms of potential damage to the relationship with Indonesia, there can be no greater damage than seeking to verbal ministers in the Indonesian government and, indeed, the Indonesian ambassador—

See this speech in context