Nick Xenophon (SA, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I am sorry if I have not appropriately articulated my position in relation to this. There is no contradiction for these reasons. In respect of this amendment, I did not say that this amendment did not comply with free trade agreements. I made the point that the changes to the Commonwealth procurement rules are a significant improvement on the actual amendment that Senator Carr moved—which was in fact an amendment that I would have moved, had the previous iteration of this bill got to committee stage. I am still concerned and still opposed to a number of the agreements we entered into. I am pleased that it looks as though the TPP will not be going ahead. That is a positive move in my view, given that the US appears to be pulling out of that agreement. I do not see any inconsistency. I will continue to campaign against free trade agreements that are not in our national interest. In terms of the practical reality if we move an amendment that is in breach of a WTO agreement, as much as I may disagree with it and as much as I may want to see it gone, then if that is struck out under the current WTO rules, as much as I disagree with them, then I would rather see an approach where we have rules that cannot be challenged because of the way they have been drafted such that they will be effective and make a real difference to procurement in this country with the $59 billion a year the Commonwealth spends on procurement.