Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister said that, under the China FTA, there is absolutely no possibility of placing any foreigner in an Australian job without labour market testing. So why does ChAFTA state at article 10.4 that neither party shall require labour market testing? Why does the Prime Minister keep misleading Australians about his China free trade agreement which sells out Aussie jobs?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition just cannot help himself. He does not channel Bob Hawke; he does not channel Bob Carr; he does not agree with Simon Crean; he does not agree with the Labor premiers of Victoria, of Queensland and South Australia; he just channels the hate speech of the CFMEU.

There was a very important resolution put before this parliament yesterday, a resolution to support the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement as negotiated. That was the resolution put before this parliament. And what we got was a nasty, angry speech from the Leader of the Opposition—a nasty, angry speech peddling the racist lies which the CFMEU has propagated. It was peddling the racist lies of the CFMEU. And then, having made an angry speech peddling the lies of the CFMEU—

Mr Burke interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister will resume his seat. Member for Watson, no, I listened very carefully, as I said. Make your point of order.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is referring directly. When he uses that word 'channelling', he is using that as a slur against the speech that was made by the Leader of the Opposition, and you know it.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, the member—

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If you want to demean the parliament, let him do that! If you want to demean the parliament, that's what will happen.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Watson will resume his seat. It is a very tough question, and I agree that the answer is tough.

Opposition members interjecting—

I will address this matter without interjections from those opposite. Now, I agree it is tough language. It is tough language, but I am listening very carefully, and I believe it is still within the Practice. It is very close. What the Prime Minister cannot do is directly reflect on any member of parliament. As I said, he is close to the line. I am allowing tough questions and tough answers. The Prime Minister has the call, but I remind him of the distinction that he needs to draw. The Prime Minister will resume his seat. The member for Petrie on a—

Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the member for Sydney just made a slur against the member for Dawson, and I would ask her to withdraw.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler will cease interjecting. The Prime Minister has the call.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So he made this nasty, angry speech where he channelled the CFMEU, and then, when he was actually called upon to say where he stood, he could not say yes; he could not say no. He could not say yes; he could not say no—too weak and too gutless to say where he stands on something as important as the free trade agreement.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition on relevance?

Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Who started the debate and ran away?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sydney will cease interjecting.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my point of order goes to relevance. I ask the Prime Minister: why are you misleading Australians? All you want to do is talk about me. You never want to talk about—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister has the call.

Ms Owens interjecting—

The member for Parramatta will cease interjecting.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I make it absolutely crystal clear that it is impossible to have an investment facilitation arrangement that avoids labour market testing. It is absolutely impossible to have an investment facilitation arrangement that avoids labour market testing. And again I say to the Leader of the Opposition: there is nothing in this deal with China—

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gorton will cease interjecting.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

that was not possible in the Japan deal, the Korea deal and the Chile deal. There is nothing of any substance possible under this deal that was not possible under other deals, and I ask again: why is the Leader of the Opposition singling out China? What has the Leader of the Opposition got against China? He might wear a red tie; what's he got against Red China? What has he got against China? What has he got against China such that he is not prepared to take the same approach to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement that he took to the Korean agreement and the Japanese agreement?

Ms Owens interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta is warned.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I say again: to single out anyone on the basis of nationality like this, to say that what is good for Japan and Korea is not good for China, is racism— (Time expired)

Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer inform the House how the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will create more jobs and further strengthen the economy in my electorate and the state of Tasmania and elsewhere?

Ms Ryan interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Lalor will cease interjecting. She has been interjecting since the start of question time.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Braddon for his question. The China free trade agreement abolishes taxes on Australian exports. I say again: the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement abolishes taxes on Australian exports. That is what it does.

Of course, we can do everything we can here to abolish taxes on Australian produce. We got rid of Labor's carbon tax. We got rid of Labor's mining tax. We got rid of the tax Labor was going to apply to the manufacturing of motor vehicles. We got of a Labor Party bank deposit tax. And I can report to the House that today the Senate passed legislation to get rid of the Leader of the Opposition's piggybank tax—so another Labor tax out the door. But the only way we can get rid of the taxes that are applied by other countries to our produce is to enter into free trade agreements.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement abolishes up to 15 per cent tax on milk products produced in Australia. I can say to you, Prime Minister and colleagues, that we are two weeks away from the seventh anniversary of the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement. When New Zealand entered into that free trade agreement with China seven years ago, the tax on New Zealand milk exports was 15 per cent. Today it is 2½ per cent. Today the milk exports that we are sending to China have taxes up to 15 per cent.

Now, what does that mean? In Tasmania, in the electorate of the member for Braddon, there are 433 dairy farms employing 3,000 people, and they receive $400 million in revenue. They are three major processing plants, including the Lion processing plant in Burnie. That Lion processing plant in Burnie employs 300 people. It is a new investment of $200 million, and it is running 50 per cent under capacity. So, by the Chinese removing the 12 per cent tax on cheese exports, we can create jobs in Burnie. We can create jobs in Tasmania. We can create jobs right across Australia. The benefit flows through to everyone, not just the people in the advanced manufacturing. It flows through to the farmers. It flows through to logistics. It flows through to every single part of the economy. That is the benefit of the free trade agreement with China. We are standing up for well-paid jobs in Australia, and it is in stark contrast to the Labor Party, which is just a mouthpiece for a radical union.