Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

There are several elements to this bill, and I appreciate the fact that the Deputy Manager of Opposition Business, the member for Page, who is also shadow minister for trade and tourism, has spoken on this legislation and the fact that the coalition is supportive, for any number of reasons, which I will outline and go through. As I say, there are a number of aspects to the Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals) Bill (No. 2) 2023.

The first measure is the expansion in the scope of the types of goods specified in the agreement between the government of Australia and European Space Agency for a cooperative space vehicle tracking program. Space, some might argue, is the final frontier, although there are large areas of our oceans we've yet to explore. But ask any child at school studying science and they will say that they are very excited by space and the prospect of further exploration. I want to give a bit of a shout-out to John Sarkissian at the radio telescope at Parkes—the dish—and the work that he does. This is important. Indeed, aspects of this bill will allow the duty-free entry of equipment, material, supplies and other property that are for the European Space Agency, are for use in agreed activities under the agreement and are imported by persons employed or engaged by the European Space Agency.

It's vital that we have good links and good associations with European Space Agency, and I commend the Morrison government for the work that we did in implementing a national space program centred on Adelaide. All the work that we did in that regard and the funding and the investment that we made was so very important. This particular aspect of the bill will also enable the duty-free entry of personal and household goods imported by those persons I mentioned before.

The European Space Agency is currently undertaking an expansion of their facility in Western Australia to include a new 35-metre diameter deep space antenna for communicating with various space science missions and a biomass calibration transponder to support the 2024 biomass mission, which aims to provide critical information about forests globally and improve our understanding of the role forests play in the carbon cycle, because it's not just investigating and exploring space, the final frontier; it's also how that will help us determine how the universe evolved and, indeed—perhaps even more importantly than where we came from in the past—where we are going in the future. Things such as forests, the carbon cycle, the environment, weather patterns—all of those—are aided and assisted by having the right technology and the right investment in space programs. Parkes is front and centre of that, as is Western Australia, with that particular facility there, and Adelaide, with the National Space Program that we have developed there.

The second measure extends the duration of the temporary duty reduction for Ukrainian goods for an additional year. This measure is aimed at assisting Ukraine's continued participation in global trade. It supports Ukraine's endeavours to uphold its territorial integrity in response to Russia's illegal and immoral invasion, and it is necessary for the protection of Australia's essential security interests. I'm sure that Vladimir Putin thought he could just roll into Ukraine, like Hitler did in Poland in September 1939, and win in a matter of hours if not days. What do you know? The Ukrainian people have to be admired for their courage, resistance and resilience and for thwarting that immoral and illegal invasion.

As a demonstration of Australia's ongoing support for the people of Ukraine, who have borne a terrible toll from Russia's invasion of their country, their free rate of customs duty will continue to apply to goods other than alcohol, tobacco, petroleum and fuel products that are the produce or manufacture of Ukraine until 3 July. The coalition wholeheartedly supports Ukraine's defence against the Russian invasion, and I know the government does, too. Last year, the coalition wrote to the foreign minister, Senator Wong, and the defence minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the member for Corio, requesting that the government provide further support to Ukraine in addition to the $285 million of support delivered by the former government. I do appreciate—and I mean this genuinely, earnestly and sincerely—the efforts that the government has gone to in supporting Ukraine's efforts. I do.

But there is more to be done. While it's a little aside from this particular bill, we do need to be upfront and certain about why we are holding back helicopters and why we haven't given enough Bushmasters to Ukraine's efforts. We need to do that, because we need to make every effort to help Ukraine repel this invasion. So far, Australia's aid to Ukraine is about $910 million. To be honest, that is an investment in world peace and democracy. We've committed to delivering 120 Bushmasters. The Bushmaster is a homegrown, homemade armoured personnel carrier that has provably saved numerous Australian and Ukrainian lives in conflicts past. It's built in Bendigo, so I'm sure the member for Bendigo would endorse my remarks.

The third measure in this bill enables certain goods to be imported with a free rate of customs duty where goods are imported from 1 January 2022 and are prescribed by by-law for a specified international sporting gathering or event. The first event prescribed was the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. You would have thought, with the celebrations and euphoria surrounding that, that the Matildas would have won it, but they didn't. Imagine had they won it! And I wish they had. But it united Australia. Sport does that. It's got the great capacity and ability to unite Australians when other events or other people—such as politicians—cannot. Good luck to the Matildas. Just last Friday, the seventh football season of the Southern NSW Women's League began in earnest in Wagga Wagga. I am very pleased that the sports minister actually is endorsing the competition, and I thank her for that. She knows as well as I do that women's Australian rules is the fastest-growing sport in Australia. There are so many involved. There are 650 women and girls in and around Wagga Wagga alone in the youth and senior women's competitions, let alone in the schools competition. I thank Marc Geppert from AFL Riverina for the efforts he's gone to for that.

But we get back to the bill. The retrospective commencement date has the benefit of enabling those who imported such goods from New Year's Day 2022 to apply for a refund of the import duties they have paid. As I say, sporting events are important. I'm very disappointed the Commonwealth Games in 2026 have been cancelled by Victoria, but that's a disappointment for Melbourne and Victoria. I know it was going to be held in regional Victoria, but well done to Melbourne for hosting another successful Australian Open, and congratulations to Jayne Hrdlicka. That tournament and her comments thereafter were all class.

The fourth measure in the bill is the extension of the temporary additional duty for Russian and Belarusian goods for a further 24 months. The additional rate of 35 per cent will therefore continue to apply to goods which are the produce of or manufactured in Russia or Belarus, in addition to the general rate of customs duty that applies to these goods. Now, we know that it is important that this apply. We know that it is vital that a message is sent to clearly enunciate Australia's position on this. It's not just the coalition's position; it is the Labor government's position as well. That's why we're supporting this. I think we are as one in ensuring that a clear and unequivocal message is sent, and underlined, from Canberra and from Australia that this needs to be so. The additional duty applies to goods for home consumption entering between 25 April 2022 and 24 October next year, other than those that are eligible for a schedule 4 concessional item or that left for direct shipment to Australia from a place of manufacture or warehouse prior to Anzac Day 2022.

This measure is a direct response to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, which was supported by Belarus. I say again that, as a parliament, we are as one in saying that this invasion is wrong and that this invasion needs to be thwarted. I know I am not alone in supporting the marvellous leadership of Zelenskyy and in supporting the people of Ukraine for their efforts thus far and for what they will do in the future to ensure that right wins over wrong. It was the coalition that, in government, announced on 31 March 2022, prior to the election, that Australia would join like-minded countries in temporarily removing what was called most-favoured-nation tariff treatment and imposing an additional duty on goods from Russia and Belarus. Ordinarily, goods from Russia and Belarus would be subject to the general rate of customs duty—most commonly five per cent or, indeed, free. Instead, most goods that are the produce of manufacture in Russia and Belarus are subject to a temporary rate of customs duty of 35 per cent, in addition to the general rate of customs duty that would ordinarily have applied to these goods. The temporarily removal of MFN treatment and most-favoured-nation status and the imposition of additional duty was a response to the invasion.

Too many innocent lives have been lost in Ukraine. Too much blood has been shed. The bombing of maternity hospitals and other places which should be of sanctuary and safety in Ukraine is beyond belief. Unless Australia and other like-minded nations stand up, then the world gives in to bullies, and we have way too many bullies in the world at the moment. They need to be stood up to. They need to be repelled. This timely and appropriate legislation helps with that. It assists with that, and I commend it to the House.

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