Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Skills) Share this | Hansard source

Such rhetoric is reminiscent of the 1930s. I will not link it directly to the 1930s. His attacks on the right to protest—this is about the Prime Minister, because he has attacked the rights to protest—his denunciation of businesspeople who dare to have a social conscience and his Lowy Institute speech parroting dangerous foreign ideas as negative globalism are all characteristic of a reactionary, not a conservative, let alone a Liberal. We are better than this. There is a reason why successive governments, both Labor and coalition, talk about the importance of global cooperation through multilateral organisations. To quote Angel Gurria, the Secretary-General of the OECD:

…the flourishing of multilateral institutions after World War II remain valid today. International cooperation provides venues to resolve differences peacefully; platforms to agree on common rules of the game; mechanisms to better manage international flows; and channels for exchanging ideas, experiences and practices …

This is so important.

Labor welcomes this bill because it will support Australia's continuing participation in multilateral development institutions. Helping developing countries grow will promote Australia's interest in a prosperous, stable and secure region, but fighting global poverty is the right thing to do. Helping the world's most disadvantaged people is an expression of Australia's values. We are a country committed to the fair go and to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged, both at home and abroad. Our international development programs and our participation in multilateral institutions are an expression of our values as Australians.

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