Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister for Education and Training representing the Minister for Employment. Will the minister update the House on the benefits to growth and jobs of the export agreement with China. What support has there been for expanding free trade and what are the obstacles to those benefits being realised?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hume for his question because he, like me, is a great enthusiast for the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement and for the jobs and the growth it will bring right across Australia—

Ms Chesters interjecting—

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

The member for Bendigo will cease interjecting.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

particularly to Western Australia, which at this time is facing an election very soon. We want to remind them of the huge benefits in international education, in opening up services and in agriculture from their particular part of the world that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will bring and that the Labor Party is trying to sabotage. Labor is actually trying to sabotage jobs and growth for Western Australians. On Saturday, when voters go to the polls, they need to remember that this side of the House is in favour of jobs and growth, that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will bring, while that side of the House is dancing to the tune, instead, of the CFMEU, the MUA and others, and trying to stop those jobs and that growth from flowing.

I am asked about the support that we have received for the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The wonderful work done in advocacy by the Minister for Trade and Investment has brought a lot of people out in support of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, especially because of the risk that Labor pose to it and to the economy; groups like the National Farmers' Federation, the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and small-business representative organisations across Australia.

I picked up a speech recently which I had started to read and I was terribly impressed by some of the things contained in the speech, lines like:

… trade benefits working people.

…   …   …

Trade is especially important for growth at the moment when the economy faces headwinds.

…   …   …

Refusing to enter into trade agreements will allow our competitors to gain market share at Australia's expense.

…   …   …

Miners, manufacturing workers, food processing workers, truck drivers, wharfies, warehousing workers, shop assistants—their jobs all depend on exports and imports.

They sound like the people of south-western Perth in Canning. I thought that this was an excellent speech, that Andrew Robb has given another great speech. But, no, it was not Andrew Robb. That surprised me. I thought that maybe Julie Bishop had been out and about talking about the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. It was not Julie Bishop. I thought that perhaps Treasurer Joe Hockey had delivered another speech to the National Press Club—and I agree with everything he said. But, no—

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Let's get a drum roll.

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

The member for Chifley is warned!

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, it was not Andrew Robb, it was not Julie Bishop, it was not Joe Hockey. It was only on 13 June 2015, a few months ago, to the Fabians Forum, and it was Penny Wong, the Leader of the Labor Party in the Senate. Penny Wong said all of these things, all of these extremely positive things about trade and the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. So who nobbled Penny? The CFMEU, whom she used to work for? The MUA? The AWU? Was it the Leader of the opposition? The Leader of the Opposition needs to get on board with the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, with Penny Wong, with people like Bob Hawke, and start supporting jobs and workers first rather than himself. (Time expired)