Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the . Will the minister outline to the House how the Morrison-McCormack government's historic Australia-UK free trade deal will strengthen our economy by delivering more jobs and business opportunities to Australians, especially in the manufacturing sector?

Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for the question. The member is obviously aware that in his electorate of Barker there are more people per capita engaged in food manufacturing than in any other electorate in Australia. The free trade agreement that we have just finalised with the UK is going to mean remarkable things for the people of the member's electorate—in dairy, wine and other food manufacturing. It's a fantastic thing for the people of the member's electorate. In general terms, there is a direct link between the health of exports in manufacturing, the health of manufacturing in Australia and the number of people employed in manufacturing. In general terms, that has been a very positive story under this government.

What we will see with the FTA with the UK is further growth in manufacturing exports, which will mean further growth in manufacturing and in manufacturing jobs in Australia. To give you some concept of the scale we are talking about, the value of Australian goods exported to the UK is currently about $9.1 billion. Last year alone, we exported $117 billion worth of manufactured products, which was about 32 per cent of all of our exports. In the last five years, even accounting for COVID, we had a very strong and steady growth of 3.3 per cent in our manufacturing exports. In the March quarter of this year, the value of our manufacturing exports increased by a remarkable $400 million. Since we came to government, the price that our manufacturers get for their exports has increased by 28.5 per cent. So we've got a very positive story. And then we can look at the things we export to the United Kingdom that are going to have their tariffs reduced—wine and dairy, in the member's electorate. It is also things like motor vehicle parts. We export $36 million worth of radiators to the UK. It is things like hot-water heaters. Anyone who has spent any time in the United Kingdom would know that there is probably no country on earth that needs Australian hot-water heaters more than the United Kingdom. I'd argue that that's probably foreign aid or a human rights issue for the United Kingdom!

Fashion is another area of manufacturing exports to the United Kingdom. If the United Kingdom needs something even more than Australian hot-water systems, it is Australian fashion! Our cousins in the United Kingdom will benefit from our wine, our dairy, our hot-water heaters and our fashion, and Australians will benefit from the employment that that will generate. We hear scoffing from members opposite, but that will mean great fashion, great cheese and hot water for our cousins in the United Kingdom, and jobs here.