Sue Lines (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Labor does of course support free trade agreements. We recognise that China is a major trading partner and that a good free trade agreement can bring us many benefits. But, as Senator Wong said in this place earlier today, we have seen a lot of secrecy—way too much secrecy—around this free trade agreement. Indeed, we have seen nothing but orchestrated leaks from the government about what may and may not be in the free trade agreement. We have seen it talked up and we have seen it talked down. The more it remains in the dark, the more concerns Labor and the Australian public have. I have had a significant number of emails from Western Australians who want to see the detail of this free trade agreement. The Abbott government's track record is one of saying one thing and doing another. We all know the long list of broken promises. We certainly do not want to see Australia signing a blank cheque at the expense of our national interest.

A particular issue of concern to me is protecting the rights of workers. We want a good trade agreement but not one that reduces the rights of Australian workers. We are not against skilled migration—Labor has a strong record in that regard—but we are against the abusive systems that exploit migrant workers, that hurt the entire Australian workforce by driving down wages and conditions, and that undercut businesses that play by the rules. We need to see the detail of this agreement. We have heard a lot about it, but we do need to see that detail. Currently in Australia there are more than a million people on some form of temporary visa, which is equivalent to 11 per cent of our workforce. If we are going to add to that, it cannot be at the expense of the Australian workforce and it cannot be at the expense of the benefits that Australian workers and Australian unions have fought for over a very long period of time.

Not only has Labor said that the government needs to be transparent about this but so has the Productivity Commission, who have said that there should be transparency at all stages of the negotiations—not glossy pamphlets or brochures, not leaks to certain journalists, but real transparency—so that all Australians can see the detail and can express an opinion, through their elected representatives in this place, about areas of concern. The Abbott government, which we know to be a government of broken promises, says one thing and then negotiates quite the opposite—so the Australian community has very good reason to be concerned.

Hopefully we will see some detail today. We certainly think the Australian parliament and the Australian people are entitled to that. The Labor Party will be looking at how this free trade agreement benefits Australians, how it creates growth in our economy and how that growth will flow to all. The Abbott government appears to think that the benefits of growth just trickle down, but of course they do not. We need to see how this free trade agreement creates wealth and prosperity for all Australians, not just for a favoured few, and we need to see how the rights of the Australian workforce are protected in all of this. I am not yet convinced that Mr Abbott has got the message on jobs. Free trade agreements should be about creating jobs—but not just jobs for the sake of jobs. They should be jobs that protect workers' rights, that give people a fair day's pay for a fair day's work and that do not undermine Australia's long and proud history as a fair go country.

Question agreed to.