Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister update the House on how the government is creating jobs and economic growth through trade and investment? Is the minister aware of any threats to this economic growth?

Mr Brendan O'Connor interjecting—

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

The member for Gorton is warned.

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Page for his question. I know he is very committed to creating economic growth and driving jobs in his electorate. Like those on this side of the House, he is very committed to the coalition's agenda in relation to our free trade agreements we have put in place, helping to drive economic growth, helping to drive jobs and getting the world's preferential access into powerhouse economies.

I note that in the member for Page's own electorate Macadamia Marketing International has seen tariffs on macadamias eliminated or phased out in China, Japan and Korea under the free trade agreements that were secured by the coalition. In fact, since the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement came into force, their exports to Korea have tripled, meaning more local jobs in that economy.

I note that the member for Page also asked whether there were any threats in respect to Australia's economic growth. The sad fact is that there are threats to Australia's economic growth. They come from the Labor Party opposite and, in particular, they come from the Leader of the Opposition. I know that the Labor Party has been particularly interested in what former leaders have said. We have seen a lot of focus on that in question time. So I thought it would be educational to look at what some former leaders have said. The former Leader of the Opposition, Mark Latham, on The Bolt Report on 12 October, said, 'It's shameful that Shorten is two-faced and he really is Billy Two-Face.' As part of that interview he goes on to say that he had a very insightful conversation with this man, the Leader of the Opposition, when this man was in fact the AWU National Secretary. He quotes the Leader of the Opposition when he said, 'The members of the union want me to say that. They want to hear the sort of rhetoric against the free trade agreement, but in the parliament there you should push it through.'

So we continue to see a form from the Leader of the Opposition, a form where he will say one thing in public and a different thing behind closed doors; a form that is consistent with this Leader of the Opposition being labelled by the former leader as 'Billy Two-Face'. The fact is that there is a public Bill and there is a private Shorten, and they are two very different matters. The simple fact is that we know that this Leader of the Opposition will do the bidding of the CFMEU. We know it from Sky News, once again, because we saw a letter that was reported on Sky News from the CFMEU on Thursday, 19 September, where they said—

Mr Brian Mitchell interjecting—

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

The member for Lyons is warned.

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Will you oppose the reintroduction of the ABCC by the Abbott government, and will you abolish the ABCC immediately upon securing government?' Then we get the response from the Leader of the Opposition: 'I commit to opposing the reintroduction of the ABCC.' Once again, 11 million reasons for the Labor Party to look the other way. (Time expired)