Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Hansard source

I want to thank members for their contribution to the debate on the Customs Amendment (Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement Amendment Implementation) Bill 2017 and the Customs Tariff Amendment (Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement Amendment Implementation) Bill 2017. I thank the member for Blaxland for his comments. We have a good working relationship. I think that we have the chance to be motivated by common interest in terms of Australia's national interest; though. of course, we disagree from time to time on the best way that that national interest is served. That notwithstanding, I appreciate the contribution he made in this debate. Although I don't agree with all aspects of his remarks, I appreciate the nature in which he made them.

I particularly thank the members for Capricornia, Moore, Mackellar, Hughes and Forrest who made contributions. I think their contributions highlight the significance of the SAFTA and the opportunities that the coalition is creating for Australian businesses. I note that, across the board, coalition members are genuinely excited about what SAFTA represents.

This new comprehensive strategic partnership between Australia and Singapore does represent incredible potential to keep building on the strong trade and investment ties that exist between our countries. It represents incredible potential because of defence links that exist between Australia and Singapore, which have been further entrenched and help to bind together the work that Singapore and Australia will be able to do today. It represents incredible potential because of the way in which we have, for example, the CSIRO and A*STAR working collaboratively in innovative new areas. It represents incredible potential because of the great work that the landing pad that the coalition has instigated and put into effect in Singapore. It is now well and truly a breeding ground, for lack of a better term, for nascent Aussie businesses that are taking some of their first steps in the world.

For these reasons, I'm genuinely motivated by what I think is going to be a comprehensive and substantial trade and investment deal that will help to change and further develop for the positive the relationship between Australia and Singapore. They do represent a deepening of our bilateral relationship with Singapore. Given, of course, its modern services-based economy, it is, in many respects, a natural gateway for Australian businesses to those rapidly growing markets in South-East Asia. These are markets that we, of course, as a coalition government, have sought to further entrench through our China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, our Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement and, of course, the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement. Singapore is our fourth-largest export market for services. It's a very significant factor for Australia's largest service-driven economy. I note that roughly 76 per cent of the Australian economy is services based—roughly four out of five jobs—and yet, notwithstanding that fact, it only accounts for around 22 per cent of our exports.

SAFTA represents the embodiment of incredible potential when it comes to services exports for our nation. That's why we—and I want to pay credit to my predecessor, Andrew Robb, who started this process with Singapore—were so focused on making sure we put in place this comprehensive deal. The benefits from this deal were also made apparent to me when I travelled, together with the defence minister, Senator Payne, and the foreign minister, Minister Bishop, to what we call the Plus Three dialogue in Singapore only a matter of a month or two ago. I took with me a delegation of Australian businesses, all motivated and excited to make the most of this deal that we're putting through the parliament today. The Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement has mobilised people across a range of industries: agribusiness, those involved in innovation, those involved in higher education, and those involved in defence industries. I was particularly pleased to see Senator Ian Macdonald and the member for Capricornia come with us on that journey to accompany those businesses as well as a number of mayors from local communities, all of whom came to reinforce the message that this is a good deal for Australia.

I should also note that the member for Herbert's in the chamber. I note that the member for Herbert didn't make a contribution to this debate, and I find that extraordinary, frankly. I find it extraordinary because the member for Herbert represents Townsville, a region that is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The member for Herbert replaced the former member for Herbert, Ewen Jones, who certainly wouldn't have been silent about the incredible potential that the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement has for the township of Townsville. He wouldn't have been silent; he would have been talking about and advocating for the myriad benefits that Townsville will enjoy as a direct consequence of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. He would have actually had the wherewithal to contribute to a debate like this, knowing full well that this debate represents incredible potential for the people of Townsville.

In fact, the member for Herbert, in my view, should be condemned for not having the wherewithal to make a contribution to this debate. She should be condemned for not having the wherewithal to actually make remarks about what the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement will mean for her community. She should be condemned for not backing in Australian ADF personnel and not backing in Australian businesses, especially from her region, all of whom will, of course, stand to benefit as a consequence of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. It is extraordinary that there's just a wall of silence from the member for Herbert. I want to encourage the member for Herbert to get mobilised, get active and get engaged with the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. If the member for Herbert wants to be an advocate for her community and wants to be someone who's taken seriously in this building, then it's probably important that she speaks about one of the single biggest issues that affects her community directly rather than just sitting, stony faced and mute. In fact, I think that to actually even be in the chamber while the debate is taking place and not contribute to it really reinforces that the member for Herbert has no interest in something like this—something which has such an impact on the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

Australia exported some $4.8 billion of services to Singapore in 2016, including some $2.2 billion of professional and business services. Since SAFTA was first signed in 2003, our bilateral trade relationship has grown by over 80 per cent and our bilateral trade relationship has grown by more than 350 per cent. The agreement to amend SAFTA underscores the importance each country places on further integrating our two economies and remaining open for trade and business in the face of what is, unfortunately, it sometimes seems, a more protectionist sentiment that prevails in some quarters.

These two bills implement legislation that will help bring the agreement into force as soon as possible and allow Australians to benefit from even greater access to global markets. The government will move two amendments to the Customs Amendment (Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement Amendment Implementation) Bill 2017 in the Senate to address an inconsistency with the definition of 'harmonised system' that's currently contained in the bill. Since the agreement to amend SAFTA was concluded, the World Customs Organization has introduced an updated version of the harmonised system, and the government amendments will ensure Australia's domestic processes are completed in time to meet entry and to force deadlines.

The agreement to amend SAFTA is our most comprehensive update to a free trade agreement to date. Singapore has given Australia its best FTA treatment, putting our exporters on equal or better footing than our foreign competitors. I particularly want to acknowledge the excellent relationship with Minister Lim, Minister Balakrishnan and, indeed, Prime Minister Lee, all of whom have played a critical role on Singapore's side, as well as the work of the Singapore high commission. All have been mobilised and focused on making sure that this Singapore-Australia free trade agreement embodies the full potential of what is a wonderful relationship between Australia and Singapore.

The conclusion of such a high-quality deal reinforces the leadership of the coalition in delivering new opportunities for Australian businesses. I commend the legislation to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

Ordered that this bill be reported to the House without amendment.

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