Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment—the Makybe Diva of the House of Representatives! Will the minister advise the House of the new opportunities that will open for exporters of quality Australian food as a result of the historic China free trade export deal? And is he aware of any businesses in my electorate that stand to benefit?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and for his highly effective advocacy for freer trade. I also commend the House, including those opposite, who are supporting the passage today of the implementing legislation for this huge job-creating agreement. Australia has a rolled gold reputation throughout Asia for premium clean, green and safe produce and food that not only extends to fresh fruit and vegetables and agricultural products but, importantly, also extends to processed foods. The food processing sector makes up one third of Australia's manufacturing sector—a fact that is misunderstood. ChAFTA will open doors for Australian exporters large and small in processed food. For example, tariffs of up to 30 per cent on our processed food exports will be eliminated—everything from honey, fruit juices, pasta and canned fruit and vegetables through to wine, chocolate, biscuits and cakes.

I would like to cite one excellent example from the small country town of Coleraine, in the member's electorate. Coleraine is four hours from Melbourne, it has sand greens on the golf course, and you do not want to blink if you are driving through. It is also down the road from where my wife, Maureen, grew up. In Coleraine you will find Fiona Wall Fine Foods—biscuit maker extraordinaire. From humble but ambitious beginnings, Fiona's business began exporting two years ago. Fiona is already exporting Anzac biscuits and choc-chip cookies to China—a pallet load every month—despite paying tariffs of 15 to 20 per cent per box of biscuits.

As result of our FTA, these will be eliminated and, as a consequence, as Fiona has said: 'The phones haven't stopped ringing. It's really exciting.' She is confident that one pallet load a month will become a shipping container a fortnight. She said, 'I'm looking at signing a deal for access to another hundred stores in Shanghai because of confidence in our product and the free trade agreement.' She also plans to expand her business into other fine foods, including dried fruit, nuts, muesli and wine. Fiona employs 12 people in a town of 1,400 but is looking to double that number off the back of the free trade agreement. She predicts that next year is going to be a stellar one for her business.

This China deal is an outstanding opportunity for businesses large and small from capitals like Canberra to little towns like Coleraine.