Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in favour of the suspension of standing orders today. I think this is an important debate that we need to have. Of course, it goes to a bigger issue in this place, such as outlined by Richard Di Natale, the Leader of the Australian Greens. Every time we have an issue that the Labor Party or the government the day, the coalition, do not want to deal with, they deny formality. Over and over again on issues of foreign policy, issues that relate to Australia's place in the world, we see that it is all too complex to have a discussion or indeed to make a stand in this place on these issues.

Often we hear the argument that there is not enough time to debate the motion. How about putting aside some honest time to have a discussion in this place about something no more important than Australia's relationship with the United States? Only today we saw President-elect Donald Trump say that on day one of him becoming President he will dump the Trans-Pacific Partnership arrangement. This will have a significant impact on Australia, especially given that we have a Prime Minister here in this country, Malcolm Turnbull, who is, despite all of the science, continuing to flog a dead horse. How about we have that debate? How about we have a discussion about what our relationship with the United States will be or what we want it to be going forward, given the significant change that has happened in that country, which is now having ripple effects right across the world?

Whether this government likes it or not, Australia is a member of the global community, and it is dangerous to pretend that some kind of isolationist position (a) will be good for free trade; (b) will be good for peace and security in our region; and (c) will in any way put us in good stead for a secure economic future. We need to have these discussions, whether they are about our alliance when it comes to armed conflict, when it comes to peacekeeping or when it comes to what types of standards we accept under various trade arrangements.

I want to touch on how frustrating it must be for many in the Australian community today when you have the President-elect of the United States saying that the US are not going to move forward with the TPP. We now have our own Prime Minister almost begging at the table, yet of course we will not have an honest discussion about what our relationship with the US is going to be in months and years to come. We know that this issue is only going to grow. Donald Trump dumps the TPP—which, I must say, is one of the few things I agree with Donald Trump on, not perhaps for the same reasons but because I am sick and tired of seeing big corporations have power over the people in these arrangements. These deals are not about what is good for Australia. These deals are not about what is good for Australian consumers or Australian farmers or Australian workers. They are all about what is good for the big corporations. What corporations are going to benefit the most out of this deal? US corporations. Big pharmaceutical companies are going to be pushing up the prices of cancer drugs—they have a monopoly on cancer drugs. Big corporations are going to be able to sue governments here in Australia as well as in the region. These deals are for big corporations and not for the people.

No wonder this government is so gutless and so scared to debate these issues in this place. It does not want to talk about it, because it does not want people to know how weak it has been and how treacherous it has been. In fact, it does not want any attention on it at all. What you see is the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, now begging to have this deal rushed through, not prepared to be honest with the Australian people and not seeing the writing on the wall. People are speaking up. They are sick and tired of these arrangements between countries and governments being done behind closed doors, in the interests of big corporations and without the public having a full picture of what is going on. Silencing dissent is not going to help you.