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

We want to grow our trade because it means more jobs and it means more opportunities for Western Australians. It means more opportunities for Australians and higher standards of living for all.

The Western Australian economy has had a long and prosperous relationship with our North Asian trading partners. In fact, it was through decades of strong trade with Japan that Western Australia built its iron ore and oil and gas industries. South Korea has played a significant role in Western Australia's prosperity, consistently appearing as one of our top five export markets for two decades.

China, which already accounts for more than half of all exports from Western Australia, offers significant opportunities for the west across diverse industries and sectors, from resources to agriculture to wine to services. Western Australian businesses and workers will stand to benefit from this free trade agreement with China. Wines of Western Australia chief executive Larry Jorgensen says the China free trade agreement means:

… we are on the pathway towards having a level playing field in China with regard to our international competitors.

The CEO of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council, John Harrison, said that the agreement was 'a real game changer'. Free trade agreements with other Asian countries had 'greatly stimulated domestic job creation and opportunities for Western Australian businesses'—that was WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Deidre Willmott. She said:

WA's manufacturing, agriculture, food and service industries stand to benefit greatly from the agreement …

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

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