Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Just because the Leader of the Opposition does not understand the full document does not mean that the Prime Minister misled the House. What it shows is the incapacity of the Leader of the Opposition to read the agreement in full and in detail, something that three former ACTU presidents—Bob Hawke, Martin Ferguson and Simon Crean—have done and are willing to support, as indeed is Bob Carr, Premier Daniels and Premier Weatherill, from the senator's own home state. As a representative of South Australia, you might think she might be in lockstep with her Premier, who sees the benefit of this free trade agreement for jobs in his home state, which just happens to be the senator's home state as well.

So I would say to the honourable senator: read through the whole lot. Chapter 10 of the free trade agreement, the movement of natural persons provisions, is explicit. Australia's existing trade agreements mean that the categories that have already been removed—for example, in the Thailand, Chile, Korean and Japan free trade agreements, all other FTA partners—have varying degrees of exemptions, ranging back to the 1995 World Trade Organization General Agreement on Trade in Services.

I would also remind senators that, when introducing legislation in this place for labour market testing for the 457 visa program on 28 June 2013, Labor Minister Lundy said:

The measures will be implemented in a manner consistent with Australia's relevant international trade obligations.

This is exactly what we are doing. (Time expired)