Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

Was it 5,000?

Government members: No!

2,000?

Government members: No!

1,000?

Government members: No!

It was 500 jobs! The member for Lilley must be incredibly proud of that—500 jobs. Only about 59,500 jobs short of what we have done in the last three months.

Mr Conroy interjecting—

But we want to do more. That is why we are absolutely committed to the free trade agreement with China, because we can get rid of the taxes on our businesses. We got rid of the carbon tax, we got rid of the mining tax, we got rid of the bank deposit tax and we got rid of the Labor Party's car-manufacturing tax that was killing the Australian industry. We get rid of Labor Party taxes and, under the free trade agreement with China, we are getting China to get rid of the taxes on the things we produce.

So they are abolishing a 10 per cent tariff—a tax—on our broccoli and a 25 per cent tax on watermelons. All of these businesses actually in the south—all these farms south of Perth—orange growers are going to have a 20 per cent Chinese tax abolished on their produce. Of course, for marmalade, which is a value-add example of food processing, the Chinese currently apply a 30 per cent tax on Australian marmalade. That is abolished under the free trade agreement. We are the only friends of job creation in Australia and in Western Australia.

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