Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal 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 the real benefits that Australian workers and businesses are seeing from the coalition's free trade agreement achievements? Are there any alternative approaches that would jeopardise economic growth and the creation of jobs for hardworking Australians?

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

I thank the member for Forrest for her question—another passionate believer in, as we've outlined over the past several days, the trade export opportunities this government is opening up for Australian small and medium-sized businesses, in particular our agribusinesses. We continue to see the jobs benefits—the jobs bonanza, frankly—that flows from opening up export opportunities. The member for Forrest has one of the best wine regions in the country—not the only one, but one of the best—and she'll know that under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement we've seen wine exports to China grow by 129.5 per cent since the coalition put the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement in place—nearly $500 million worth of wine exports.

But the member for Forrest asks about alternative approaches, and I've got to say there are some alternative approaches. I was thumbing my way through any favourite broadsheet, The Australian, the other day—some great columnists in The Australian. One of my favourite columnists, and I think I'm on solid territory when I say he's a man who embodies the best Labor virtues, Graham Richardson, in a very interesting article on Australia Day titled 'Unpopular tack on trade pact could doom Bill Shorten's leadership', said:

The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal brought one of Labor's biggest difficulties into sharper focus. Every time a new deal is approved, the unions immediately oppose it.

It gives good insight into Labor thinking on all of this. He went on to say:

To follow the unions from which Labor descended, and which bankroll Labor's election campaign, is almost an automatic reaction.

He was talking about my shadow minister when he said:

I don't blame Clare. Labor was caught by surprise with its pants no further up than its ankles.

It starts to give some insight into Labor thinking on the TPP. But what's interesting is where Labor's going to go. He said:

Labor will still have to outline a detailed response. You can filibuster and obfuscate for a while but eventually Shorten will have to say yes or no. If he says yes, the trade unions will react angrily.

So, we know that this puppet on a string is waiting to get his marching orders from the Australian Labor Party. That's why we see ridiculous claims from the CFMEU. This is what they said about ChAFTA, which boosted wine exports by 129 per cent:

ChAFTA is the worst trade agreement that an Australian government has ever signed and attempted to impose on the Australian public.

Now, I smell a rat. I think he is being set up, because I don't think this was just Graham Richardson; I think the member for Grayndler was involved as well. It finishes:

He might have scraped through if he was regarded merely as untrustworthy. Being tricky as well as weak could well be the political death of the Labor leader.

(Time expired)