Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fawcett for his question, which raises two very important issues. In relation to the first issue:

Australia can never rely solely upon our domestic economy to generate the growth we need to create jobs – not today, not ever.

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Miners, manufacturing workers, food processing workers, truck drivers, wharfies, warehousing workers, shop assistants – their jobs all depend on exports and imports.

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Exporting doesn’t only mean more jobs – it means better jobs.

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It benefits working people by creating better-paid, more rewarding and more secure jobs.

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Trade agreements open up world markets for Australian businesses, allowing them to find new sources of demand for the goods and services that Australian workers produce.

I think that all of us in this chamber can agree that these sentiments sum up the benefits of free trade agreements to jobs and the economy. In fact, even I agree with those statements and sentiments. They are not mine. I did not say that. Let me tell you who did. It was not a current state Labor figure. It was not a former state Labor figure. It was Senator Wong, the shadow minister for trade, who just three months ago delivered an address to the Australian Fabians Forum espousing all of the virtues free trade.

But, of course, Senator Wong's sentiments changed just 41 days later after the Labor Party's national conference when she got her instructions from the CFMEU to be part of a duplicitous campaign based on lies and misinformation. It is a campaign that is, without a doubt, xenophobic. I say to those on the other side: if you support trade, if you know, as Senator Wong does, or at least say she does, that these agreements bring benefits, then support the China-Australia agreement. (Time expired)