Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Will the minister outline to the House the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and what this agreement means to the nation's economic growth and the creation of jobs for hardworking Australians? Is the minister aware of any risks to these benefits?

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

I thank the member for Leichhardt for his ongoing interest in the TPP 11 and what this government's been able to achieve in terms of trade deals. His interest builds on the interest of many members on this side—in fact, all members on this side—who are committed to opening up export markets for Australia and making sure, as a direct consequence, we drive economic growth and, importantly, jobs. The member for Leichhardt can be justifiably proud of some outstanding examples of export success from his electorate. For example, crocodile leather from the member for Leichhardt's electorate is used to create Hermes bags—iconic bags.

Opposition Member:

An opposition member interjecting—

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

There'd be quite a lot on your side with Hermes bags; make no mistake about that! But this speaks to the fact that Australian exporters are stepping up to the plate in global value chains and making sure that they are at the forefront. That's part of the reason why as a government we are so steadfastly committed to opening up trade export opportunities. But it's not just our word that people can take for granted; it's the fact that, for example, the CEO of the National Farmers' Federation, Tony Mahar, said of the TPP 11:

It has great potential to drive job-creating growth across the Australian economy.

This is a sentiment that we're hearing right around the country. The Minerals Council of Australia said of the TPP 11 that it will 'help ease cost-of-living pressures on Australian consumers'. That's what this government stands for: creating economic growth, driving jobs and easing the cost-of-living pressures for Australian families. And we will continue to deliver on that.

Over the last two days, I've spoken about how the Australian Labor Party stands in the way of good trade deals. We know they get the big calls wrong on trade. The Leader of the Opposition and the shadow trade minister both said the TPP 11 was dead. We heard Ged Kearney, Labor's candidate in Batman, making comments like some kind of rabid Green about how the TPP 11 was going to be bad. The fact is that anti-trade rhetoric from the Australian Labor Party is endemic. Just in January of this year, we heard this: 'The Turnbull government's latest Trans-Pacific trade deal will bring us closer to having the status of a Third World economy.' That is the comment from the president of the AMWU and former president of the Queensland Labor Party. The fact is that Labor's loony-Left, anti-trade rhetoric isn't just confined to winning a by-election; it runs deep in the veins of the Australian Labor Party. It's the reason why they field loony-Left candidates like Ged Kearney. It's the reason they get the big calls wrong on trade. It's the reason why the Australian people know that they can't trust this Leader of the Opposition or Labor to get the trade calls right, because Labor won't— (Time expired)