Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for O'Connor for his question. I particularly welcome that intervention from the member for Rankin because he backs Bob Hawke's view of the free trade agreement. The member for Rankin says that Bob Hawke is right and calls upon the Leader of the Opposition to get out of the way of signing the free trade agreement. Well done Bob Hawke, and you backed Bob Hawke so I thank the member for Rankin for his timely intervention.

The member for O'Connor is well aware of the importance that mining, resources and energy play in providing jobs in the Western Australian economy and across our nation. Every member of this parliament should be supporting the China free trade agreement so that the full benefits of more Australian jobs and more export opportunities for our businesses, small, medium and large, can be realised. China is Australia's largest resources and energy market. Exports were worth more than $85 billion in 2013-14. Under the free trade agreement all tariffs on resources and energy products will be eliminated within four years. In fact, most of them will occur as soon as the free trade agreement enters into force. What we will see is the agreement locking in zero tariffs on major resource exports such as iron ore, gold, crude petroleum oils and LNG. This will give Australian mining, resource and energy companies a huge competitive advantage in the Chinese market. It will lead to more mining, resource and energy projects and more jobs here in Australia.

The biggest threat to more Australian jobs and more opportunities under the free trade agreement is, in fact, the Leader of the Opposition. In trying to derail the China free trade agreement he would prefer to see these jobs go to competitive countries, and these Australian jobs will go to competitive countries if this agreement does not go ahead. The opportunities will be taken up by other countries. Our businesses and our workers will miss out. Of course, the Leader of the Opposition has form on free trade agreements. We know from the Labor Party pick for Prime Minister, Mark Latham, that the Leader of the Opposition cannot be trusted when it comes to free trade agreements. He said:

… Public Shorten against the FTA, Private Billy in favour of it.

The Leader of the Opposition is actually double dealing on this free trade agreement, as he did on the US free trade agreement. Mark Latham reminded us in September 2005 in a Lateline interview:

… how do you consult with a union leader like Shorten, who's saying one thing publically and exactly the opposite privately?

…   …   …

I think it's a … black mark against … Shorten's name.

He went on to observe that Shorten spoke with contempt for the members of his union and tried to walk both sides of the street. The Leader of the Opposition should remember to put the national interest first— (Time expired)

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