Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1)   record the enormous economic potential of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to deliver Australian jobs, growth and investment;

(2)   acknowledge that for benefits to flow to Australian businesses and workers without delay, it must be passed by the Parliament this year; and

(3)   fully support the China-Australia FTA in its negotiated form.

It is important to remind the House of just how big a deal the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is—just how big an opportunity for our exports and for jobs in Australia the China free trade agreement is. Already China takes about one-third of our exports. China is already the strongest economy in Asia, and soon China will be the biggest economy in the world. What the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement—the China-Australia export agreement—does is give Australia and our exporters privileged access to the biggest market in Asia and what will soon be the biggest market in the world.

It is important for people in this parliament to understand that this is the only free trade agreement that China has made with another G20 country. This is by far the best agreement that China has done with any significant developed economy. As members right around this chamber should know, this agreement has been 10 years in the making; it was started by the Howard government and it was finalised and concluded by the Abbott government. It is also important for people right around Australia to understand that, under this agreement, more than 95 per cent of our exports to China will enter duty free—will enter without any tariffs at all. That is why this agreement gives us absolutely unparalleled and absolutely unprecedented access to what is certainly the biggest market in Asia and will soon be the world's biggest market. This is something which applies across the board when it comes to our exports. Our resources will go in on a better basis than now, our agricultural exports will go in on a better basis than now and there will be unprecedented access for Australian services to the Chinese market because of this particular agreement.

We all know that about five years ago New Zealand successfully concluded a free trade agreement with China. We probably do not know, but we should, that under this agreement New Zealand's exports to China more than quadrupled. At a time when our exports to China merely doubled, New Zealand's exports to China more than quadrupled because of the free trade agreement that they had and we lacked. Our free trade agreement with China is a much better agreement than New Zealand's. It is a much better agreement than New Zealand's because ours involves services too.

I have to point out to the House that the agreement that was negotiated by us with China—the agreement that was so carefully and painstakingly finalised by the Minister for Trade and Investment, the member for Goldstein, with China—is a done deal. It cannot be renegotiated. It is a done deal. It is a deal that we either take or leave, and I put it to the House that it would be absolutely unconscionable for us not to take the deal as negotiated by this government with the Chinese.

I have to say that, on a momentous day 10 months ago in this very chamber, the Leader of the Opposition said to this House:

… Labor welcomes the prospect of a trade agreement between our two countries. A decade of hard work has gone into creating this opportunity for Australia, from Prime Minister Howard to Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard, and now Prime Minister Abbott.

That is what the Leader of the Opposition said 10 months ago in this chamber, in the presence of President Xi Jinping himself. He said, 'Labor welcomes the prospect of a trade agreement between our two countries.' That is what he said in this chamber when President Xi Jinping was here on his historic visit to our country.

What has happened since? What has happened since is that the CFMEU has come out and condemned the deal, and as soon as the union movement started to condemn the deal what happened was that the Leader of the Opposition started to shift his position. The problem right now that the Leader of the Opposition faces—and I invite him to come into this chamber and speak on the deal—is that, unless he is to come into this chamber and speaks on this motion, the very strong impression will be created in the minds of the people of Australia that every time the Leader of the Opposition moves it is the CFMEU that is pulling the strings, and every time the Leader of the Opposition speaks it is the CFMEU's voice that we hear.

Notwithstanding all the advantages of this export agreement for Australia, the CFMEU has already spent what is estimated to be $12 million on undermining, sabotaging and telling lies about this agreement—this agreement vital for the future of our country.

Right on cue, as soon as the CFMEU and other unions started attacking this agreement, what did the Leader of the Opposition say? The Leader of the Opposition, on cue, said, 'It's a dud deal.' He now has his chance to stand up in this parliament and say exactly where he stands. Right now what we have had is Labor member after Labor member taking their cue from the union movement, standing up and threatening to block this deal which is vital for Australia's future.

Let me make it absolutely crystal clear to members opposite what this deal will involve in this parliament. In this parliament, acceding to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement involves no legislation to change the Fair Work Act. It involves no legislation to change our immigration laws. The only bills that will be before this parliament to put the China Free Trade Agreement into practice, to put it into effect, are changes to our tariff laws. So there are no changes to the protections for workers, no changes to the protections built into our immigration laws—none whatsoever.

So there is absolutely nothing possible under this agreement with China that is not already possible. Let me repeat that: there is absolutely nothing possible under this agreement with China that is not already possible, including under free trade agreements negotiated by members opposite when they were in government. So absolutely every single thing which is envisaged under this free trade agreement was envisaged under free trade agreements negotiated by members opposite when they were in government. It is absolutely critical to note that there is absolutely no possibility of placing any foreigner in an Australian job without labour market testing. That was the situation under members opposite when they were in government and that is the situation under this government under this agreement.

So what have we got here? We have a campaign of lies. It is a campaign of lies—xenophobic at best, racist at worst—being peddled principally by the CFMEU, being taken up by the ACTU more generally, being connived at by members opposite, being articulated by members opposite. I just want to make it absolutely crystal clear: the only free trade agreement that members opposite have complained about is the free trade agreement with China. What have they got against China? Why is it that they are preparing to snub the strongest economy and the strongest power in Asia? What is it that members opposite have got against China? Why is it that members opposite seem to be channelling the ghosts of the Federation parliament, echoing the kinds of sentiments that were heard in the Federation parliament at the time of the White Australia policy? Let me make it absolutely crystal clear. Members opposite talk about the Asian century. This agreement makes us part of the Asian century. Why are members opposite against an agreement which makes us part of the Asian century?

I am pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has finally deigned to enter the parliament and I hope he is going to contribute to this debate. I hope that finally the Leader of the Opposition is going to tell us exactly what he thinks is wrong with this agreement, if indeed there is anything that he can come up with which is wrong with this agreement. We know exactly where other significant Labor leaders stand. Bob Hawke supports this agreement, Bob Carr supports this agreement, Simon Crean supports this agreement and the Labor premiers of Victoria, Queensland and South Australia support this agreement. Where does the Leader of the Opposition stand? Whose side is the Leader of the Opposition on? Is he on the side of Bob Hawke, Bob Carr, Simon Crean and the Labor premiers of Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, or is the Leader of the Opposition yet again listening to the CFMEU? That is the challenge that I put to the Leader of the Opposition: just for once, tell us where you stand. Just for once, stop playing politics. Just for once, put the interests of Australia first and back this agreement.

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