Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to participate in this important motion on the EU-Australia Leadership Forum, moved by the member for Fisher. As the chair of the EU parliamentary friendship group, I want to say a few words in support of this major partnership. This partnership between Australia and the European Union at a leadership level is very significant and important because it solidifies the historical bonds between our two continents by broadening and intensifying the bilateral relationships. It is no secret that we are living in challenging times and that the world today is a very different place. Globally, the political landscape is ambiguous, and we are still transcending the post-Cold War period, so where the world order will end up is probably not clear to any of us. The European Union is a powerhouse of nation states with deeply rooted histories, heavily steeped in culture and learning, and the birthplace of Western civilisation. It is a major player in leading the way forward. In the words of the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau: 'The whole world benefits from the European Union, because it is a truly remarkable achievement and an unprecedented model for peaceful cooperation.'

As a country, Australia is geographically isolated. We are a vast nation, much bigger than Europe in land size but with a smaller population. We are rich in resources and our people are our greatest strength—in fact, our greatest resource. Our multicultural make-up allows us to naturally partner with the European Union through the many European migrants who have made Australia their home. The ties that bind the two countries are there, and the EU-Australia Leadership Forum has the potential to strengthen, broaden and diversify these relationships in key areas. Through our liberal democracies and our commitment to the rule of law, Australia and the member states of the European Union can ensure peace for their citizens and instil in them the belief that this partnership will advance their safety and prosperity. And, of course, this latest framework does build on the previous framework of 2008.

This recent initiative is particularly important to me as the federal member for Calwell. I have many established communities in my electorate that are European—both northern and southern Europeans—and, of course, from eastern and central Europe. There are my very strong Greek and Italian communities to Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Maltese, Polish, Latvian, Spanish and Lithuanian—to name but a few of the diaspora communities who have settled successfully in Australia and whose children and grandchildren have risen to become leading academics, scientists and businesspeople, and even politicians, in their new country. These communities have created our diversity and have added to our strengths. So in this sense Europe has a lot to learn from Australia, and also a lot to benefit from through its interaction with Australia. We are a creative, diverse, vibrant, young and innovative nation.

Now, while the business end of the relationship is very important, our dialogue with Europe should also cultivate the cultural dimension. Successful trade relationships need to be based on a genuine cultural understanding. So I do hope that the EU-Australia Leadership Forum will focus as much on culture as it will on trade, economic exchange and the other areas of concern. The Australian government's intent to create closer economic cooperation with the European Union through negotiation of a European Union-Australia Free Trade Agreement does raise the possibility of many possibilities. Many of my diaspora European communities are already finding ways of trading with their original homelands, especially in niche Australian product markets. So any assistance for them is very important, and they must and should be the beneficiaries of such a free trade agreement.

This agreement will see Australian businesses become more competitive on a global scale. Our economy, of course, stands to succeed on an international scale and with the Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union, Australia is set to benefit a great deal from its focus on the Asia-Pacific region. I have always maintained that Australia has a crucial bridging role to play in Euro-Asian relations. Modern Australia, historically, is a European society while geographically very much part of Asia. So Australia is ideally placed as a conduit, because we happen to be European and Asian—with an Indigenous inheritance, of course; we must always remember that.

The forum's focus on working with the European Union to exchange ideas in government, business, academia, creative industries and civil society is fundamental to its success and outcomes. I do look forward to the work of the forum. It is guided by a very impressive steering committee of Australia's and Europe's greatest minds. Over the next three years, the forum will work to develop and exchange ideas and expertise. I am particularly interested in the focus on young people, as they are the leaders of tomorrow. They need to be the ones who embrace new ideas and learn from each other.

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