Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the Customs Amendment (China-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation) Bill 2015. China of course is Australia's largest trading partner. It buys almost a third of all of our exports, valued at over $98 billion—or at least it did so in 2014—and is our top overseas market for agriculture, resources and services. China is set to remain our largest trading partner long into the future.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will take this essential trade relationship to a new level. This is truly a landmark deal for this nation. Independent economic modelling shows that Australia's FTAs with China, Japan and Korea will together add $24.4 billion to the Australian economy over the coming 20 years. This agreement will deliver unprecedented market access for Australian businesses and producers into China, the most populous nation on Earth and the key driver of the global economy.

My electorate of Barker in South-East South Australia is one of the most productive agricultural regions of Australia and one of the nation's most important food manufacturing electorates. This trade agreement will deliver a new era of prosperity, particularly for our agricultural and food manufacturing sectors. Few electorates are as well positioned as mine to take advantage of this deal. From the Limestone Coast in the south to the Riverland of the north, from the Barossa to the striking plains of the Murray lands and the Mallee, some of the best agricultural produce on earth is cultivated in Barker.

The government has already delivered constituents in Barker unprecedented market access to Japan and Korea, but now we have also delivered to them a world of opportunity in China. The coalition government pledged to open up Australia for business and today is a critical moment in that commitment. This bill delivers on that commitment. It is because of the actions that this government has taken that children in Shanghai will taste quality South Australian beef and lamb grown by livestock producers at Lucindale, Meningie and Lameroo. Because of the coalition, 12 to 25 per cent tariffs on beef will be eliminated within nine years and tariffs of between 12 and 23 per cent on sheep meat will be removed over seven years. Women in Beijing will wear garments made of the fine wool from the Mallee, where producers will receive an exclusive duty-free quota into China of 30,000 tonnes from day 1 of the agreement, growing to over 44,000 tonnes by 2024.

Because of the actions that the government has taken, the fine wines fermented from succulent wine grapes grown in the Barossa, Coonawarra, Padthaway and Riverland will adorn the tables of middle-class China. Tariffs of between 14 and 20 per cent on wine will be eliminated over four years. It is because of the actions that the government has taken that live southern rock lobster caught in the turquoise waters of Port Macdonnell, Robe, Beachport and Kingston will be consumed in Shenzhen and Nanjing. This will be the first time that these exports will be delivered officially or legally to these countries. There will no longer be the grey trade in that industry. Huge tariff reductions across other seafood sectors will deliver great gains for fishermen in Barker. Within four years, a 14 per cent tariff on abalone will be eliminated and a 12 per cent tariff on fish will be eliminated. It is because of this agreement that our fresh, clean and sustainable seafood industry will receive the shot in the arm it needs to level the playing field in the Chinese market for good.

Due to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, fruit and vegetables grown on blocks along the Riverland will nourish the world's most populous nation. Measures this government is enacting will deliver enormous tariff reductions of up to 30 per cent. The horticultural sector is one of the biggest agrisectors in Barker and also one of the biggest winners in this agreement. Almond, walnut and pistachio orchardists will see tariffs eliminated over four years. I remind the House that the nut sector is the fastest-growing agricultural export sector in the country. Citrus, a key export from Barker, will see tariffs of 12 per cent reduced over eight years. ChAFTA not only will deliver economic prosperity but will deliver healthy food to millions.

This agreement will underpin long-term prosperity in the dairy sector. Tariffs of up to 20 per cent will be eliminated progressively. Milk from Australian cows will feed the next generation of Chinese children because of this government. Ice cream made from South Australian milk will ease hot and humid days in Bejing. Infant formula will be used by mothers across China, and cheese and butter produced with Australian milk will fill the fridges of millions because of this government's actions. It is because the government is acting in the best interests of our nation and not that of the unions that the forestry industry can be assured that we have locked in zero tariffs on Australian woodchips. Under ChAFTA, China's tariffs of up to 20 per cent on Australian forestry products made from radiata pine will be phased out over four years. This is a huge win for Barker, which of course is one of the nation's forestry hubs. I am proud to say that my constituents produce some of this nation's finest grains, vegetables, fruit, timber, meat and dairy. We have some of the finest wines and wine grapes in the world.

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