Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker, Assistant Trade and Investment Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bass for her question. I know the member is on the side of exporters in northern Tasmania. I got a chance to meet those exporters late last year when I was down there hosting a free trade seminar. It is certainly a very productive and innovative area.

This government is getting on with making it easier for our exporters to connect to the rest of the world, selling our produce and our services. The latest data shows that there are nearly 52,000 businesses that export from Australia. That's a 16 per cent increase. Over the last five years, this government has created an additional 240,000 trade related jobs. So that's 240,000 Australians that now have a job thanks to our commitment to increasing jobs and boosting the economy by making it easier to connect our exporters to the rest of the world. Trade is critical.

Mr Bowen interjecting—

I'm pleased that the honourable member is interested in trade, because I don't think in their term of government they managed to sign one free trade agreement. So they will be interested to know that this government has delivered free trade agreements to China, Japan and Korea and, the gold standard of them all, the TPP-11.

Indeed, I was honoured to be in Tokyo in January to represent Australia at the inaugural ministerial meeting for the TPP-11 countries. This agreement not only connects countries in the local area but also gives preferential access to Canada and Mexico. This means that Australian exporters now have access to 2.8 billion consumers from around the world. These agreements are opening up our export opportunities for manufactured goods, education and financial services, as well as agricultural technology.

This weekend, Senator Birmingham will be in China to represent Australia at the next round of negotiations for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and, at the same time, our negotiators are working with the European Union and the Pacific Alliance on future trade agreements.

Trade has now contributed to a quarter of Australia's economic growth over the past five years. That means we now have a stronger economy which provides essential services which Australians rely on. But there is more to come. Australia has now signed FTAs with Indonesia, Peru and Hong Kong. There is an opportunity for those opposite to show interest in these agreements, as they will shortly be coming to the House for ratification. It is an opportunity for this House to support Australian exports— (Time expired)

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