Andrew Nikolic (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to speak again without closing the debate.

Leave granted.

I welcome the opportunity to once again highlight the trifecta of mutually beneficial free trade agreements concluded by the Abbott government. I have spoken many times before of the huge benefits of these free trade deals for my home state of Tasmania in particular, and that is because free trade—more trade—means new markets, new investments and more jobs across the entire economy.

But I regret to inform the House that not everyone thinks that way. It is very clear from the union campaign being run against the China free trade agreement that those opposite and their union handlers have little regard for the beneficial effects of growing regional trade. The suggestion that Australia's free trade agreement with China will open the floodgates for foreign workers is, frankly, false, xenophobic and irresponsible. This union campaign demonises China—remember, our biggest trading partner—and even former Labor leader Simon Crean has publicly called on the opposition leader to back this free trade deal, which will be good for jobs and good for the economy.

But it should not surprise that the opposition leader ignores such good advice, because again I regret to say he has form in this area. It is regrettable to recall him clambering onto a flatbed truck at a union rally in Adelaide last September. He gave a speech that The Australian newspaper wrote was 'an inexcusable performance' that 'stank with racist and protectionist rhetoric'. Instead of acting like a statesman and highlighting that Japan, China and South Korea are vital trading partners, Mr Shorten said we should think of Japan as an enemy responsible for sinking 366 merchant ships off Australia in the Second World War. In suggesting that Japan was still our enemy, the member for Maribyrnong confirmed he was unfit to be the alternative Prime Minister of our country. I remind those opposite that the provisions in the China FTA are entirely consistent with those previously signed by the Labor Party, and it is reckless for union officials, supported by Labor, to launch a campaign that opposes an agreement which will result in new investment and new local jobs, including in Tasmania.

The opposition leader's comments confirm again how beholden his leadership is to the most militant elements of the union movement, like the CFMEU, which funds this dishonest and xenophobic anti-China campaign. Remember that the opposition leader sat in this parliament smiling at, listening to and applauding the leaders of Japan and China. He said he supported these free trade deals, the thousands of local jobs they will create and the billions of dollars that they will bring and add to our economy. Yet Mr Shorten's actions tell an entirely different story. Labor and their union colleagues deliberately ignore provisions in the China FTA which make it abundantly clear that:

The department will only enter into a project labour agreement where it has been satisfied that Australians have been provided first opportunity for jobs.

Ms Parke interjecting—

There we go. Here we have the member opposite interjecting. I might remind the member about the front page in The Australian this morning, where unions appear to be using the same provisions to hire workplace relations advisers, copywriters, database administrators and training professionals from overseas. Surely there must be some workplace relations advisers in Australia they can draw on without getting them from overseas. So what rank hypocrisy from the member opposite! These are inconvenient facts that expose the union-led, Labor-supported scare campaign, which is irrational—

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