Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes the mutually beneficial and strengthening cooperation between Australia and Japan with particular emphasis on our:

(a) strong trade relationship;

(b) significant strategic partnership; and

(c) developing defence equipment and technology relationship;

(2) acknowledges the:

(a) Australian Government's success in concluding the Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement;

(b) scope to further enhance our relationship in areas such as investment and education;

(c) Australian Government's plans to combat sovereign risk for foreign investment in Australia by repealing both the carbon and mining taxes;

(d) importance of elevating the bilateral security and defence relationship to a new level, based on our shared strategic interests in regional and international peace, stability and prosperity; and

(e) importance of the forthcoming visit to Australia of Prime Minister, His Excellency Mr Shinzo Abe, in further building our strategic partnership with Japan into a new special relationship; and

(3) commends the Australian Government for enhancing the relationship between Australia and Japan, which will be mutually beneficial for the economies and people of Australia and Japan.

Next month the Prime Minister of Japan, the Honourable Shinzo Abe, will visit Australia. That visit will take place at a time when the relationship, the partnership, is mature and at its closest. It is right that, at a time when the relationship is rising to its greatest levels, Prime Minister Abe addresses this parliament in a joint sitting. We all welcome him and look forward to hearing his views on regional and global issues. The relationship between our nations is strong on many levels. On one point, our trade relationship in 2013 amounted to $70.8 billion. Already it is a big number, and it will get bigger because of the economic partnership agreement. On 7 April this year, Prime Minister Abbott and Prime Minister Abe announced the conclusion of successful negotiations for an agreement that shows our shared commitment to open trade and will enhance two-way trade in investment. The good news that comes from this shared commitment is that, when fully implemented, 97 per cent of our exports to Japan will receive preferential treatment.

It is important for us to comprehend that, when we speak of trade with Japan, the Japanese market is not just confined to Japan itself. Japan, in an economic sense, is a huge international market consisting of Japanese business and investments operating not only in Japan but also throughout Asia via production and materiel networks. In many ways, this is an example of the global economy. We, too, are part of that economy. Japan's success has been achieved by the economic cooperation programs they have initiated throughout the developing world. Those who travel through Asia and the Pacific region can easily notice these programs. In Australia, Japanese businesses play an increasingly important role from an Australian base in manufacturing, agriculture, services and mining.

Beyond the trade relationship, our strategic partnership is very strong because of our shared values. We are democracies, we believe in the rule of law and we are committed to strong human rights. Already we achieved a base to build upon, when our bilateral cooperation was enshrined by the 2007 Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation. It is also little wonder that, when the new Colombo Plan was being developed, Japan became part of the pilot scheme, assisting undergraduates to study and work in Japan. The personal links in the networks then become the building blocks of an even better relationship between our nations created by that plan. The strategic relationship has also been more recently defined through our cooperation with Japan in response to Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and, very recently, in the search for Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. These are examples of friends working together in a very practical sense to address common regional challenges.

Another example of our strategic partnership which is strong and getting stronger was the meeting of our foreign and defence ministers in Tokyo on 11 June 2014. I understand that this was the first such meeting. Given the challenges of territorial disputes in the seas of the region, it was a practical discussion to find ways to enhance our defence and security relationship. This helped to build on the Prime Minister's visit to Japan in April. I should also note that at that meeting in Tokyo, the Minister for Defence was able to announce that we had concluded negotiations on an agreement to share Defence science technology and equipment. This is another great step forward to make our security relationship that much stronger and more effective.

Next month, this parliament should be able to unload the economy by getting rid of the carbon and mining taxes. The cessation of those taxes means that we will take those handbrakes off the economy. When investors from places like Japan look at Australia, they will no longer be negatively influenced by seeing those tariffs put on our industries. It will be better for foreign investment, the economy and the Australian people by way of jobs and opportunities.

The relationship between Japan and Australia is excellent. It is getting even better because of the economic partnership agreement, the New Colombo Plan, our security relationship, and our determination to offload the carbon and mining taxes. And all this is based upon our fundamental beliefs in democracy, the rule of law and human rights. It is an excellent relationship that will only get better and I very much look forward to our joint future between Japan and Australia.

See this speech in context