Ian Causley (Page, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is directed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade. Would the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House how global trade liberalisation will help Australian exporters and the developing world? What impediments are there to a new, fairer deal on world trade rules?

Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Page for his question. As a former sugar producer, the member for Page understands too well the importance of reform in the multilateral trading system that we are trying to achieve through the Doha Round of negotiations. It was interesting and pleasing to hear the comments of the British Prime Minister in this chamber earlier today on his commitment to reform in this area. It goes without saying that Australian farmers, manufacturers and service providers all stand to benefit enormously if we can further liberalise the multilateral global trading system.

It has certainly been the objective of our government for the entirety of our term in this place to continue to push that forward. We are getting to a critical stage in terms of what can be done, and we must do this not just on behalf of Australia’s exporters and Australian businesses but also for poverty stricken countries, which deserve a better go at accessing the markets of the world. So we are pursuing an ambitious outcome in the Doha Round not only for our exporters, particularly our farmers, in an attempt to keep our economy strong but also to help the poverty stricken people in developing countries across the world. The World Bank estimates that breaking down all the barriers to international merchandise trade would lift 32 million people out of poverty. We could help 32 million people just by liberalising further in the area of international merchandise trade, not to mention by removing the obscene support—which we certainly intend to try and remove—that is provided to agriculture in wealthy countries.

As I said, I welcome the statement by Prime Minister Blair just a few hours ago, in which he said, ‘The EU agriculture policy is born of another age and must end.’ We agree with him 100 per cent. That is the message that consecutive Australian trade ministers from both sides of politics have continued to deliver. Certainly we need to continue to push that point. As Mr Blair said, it is also important that large developing countries are prepared to make a contribution to opening up their markets as far as industrial goods are concerned. There needs to be movement by the European Union on market access for agricultural products. There needs to be movement by large industrialised developing countries such as Brazil, India, China and others to open up their markets as far as industrial goods and services are concerned. Ultimately that will benefit the entire multilateral system, but most importantly it will help millions of people who are poverty stricken today who could be lifted out of poverty in the future. The objective of the Australian government is to continue to pursue those goals in the interests of those poverty stricken countries and also to help keep the Australian economy strong.