Anthony Chisholm (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I think we know who won the battle in here. Senator Birmingham clearly won the battle. He gave Senator Antic a slap down in his answer to the question in parliament today and then sent him out to take note here. We know that this is a very serious issue that Australians are anxious about, and it is something that is going to be of real consequence for Australian workers and, as Senator Watt said, Queensland workers. There is increasing anxiousness amongst Australians about the mismanagement of this important relationship.

So many businesses have geared up over time to do trade with China, and that is being put at risk because of the mismanagement of this government. There has been a lack of action from this government to fix up this relationship. There's been zero leadership from responsible ministers, and they've outsourced the relationship to the backbench. That has had real consequences for Australians. There's no better example of that than in the work that the member for Dawson, George Christensen, and Senator Canavan have been doing this year, which has undermined our relationship with China. It is having a real impact on Australian workers.

I want to take point with Senator Stoker's contribution, in which the senator accused us of immaturity. We are the ones who are treating this seriously, because we know how significant this is. It's the government backbenchers—the ones that are causing the trouble—that are putting this relationship at risk and doing further damage. It was rather astounding that the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Birmingham, said that he was a steady hand on this issue. Nothing could be further from the truth. I think, if you look at the industries that have been impacted, they would say nothing other than that he has been a dead hand on this issue, because he is not taking this up to the government to fix these issues and is not in a leadership position to take advantage of that.

Last year, China accounted for a significant proportion of our exports, and they included barley, Queensland timber, wine, lobsters, sugar, coal, copper and meat. Behind these exports are some of the biggest employers that Queensland have, and they have been such a significant part of the export industry that we have seen develop over time. But already we are seeing that this is having consequences across Australia—in particular, in Queensland. Just on the radio last week I heard the CEO of Sirromet Wines, which is an iconic brand in Queensland and a place, particularly in Brisbane, that many people are aware of. They've been exporting 40 per cent of their wine to China, and that is being put at risk because of the mismanagement of this relationship by this government. We also know there have been reports in Mackay of the volume exported through the Hay Point terminal—the coal terminal—declining this year again. It puts jobs at risk, and it puts economic development at risk as well.

Business is rattled. They have been looking for leadership from the government, which has been so far found wanting. Workers are getting anxious. We know they are following these developments. They know that these sorts of repercussions have a direct impact on them, their livelihoods and their families, and the government is rudderless on this issue. You only have to look at the quote from Minister Birmingham in The Australian from a couple of days ago, where he said:

Continued uncertain and inconsistent messages from China are heightening risks and undermine the statements made by President Xi at this year's China International Import Expo.

He's saying that it's China's uncertain and inconsistent messages that are having an impact. What about the inconsistent messages from the government and their backbench? That is what is having an impact on this relationship, and it is something that is increasingly causing anxiousness amongst employers and businesses but also workers as well.

There's no doubt that the performance from Minister Birmingham today, for those who were able to see it, would not fill Australians with confidence. Australians understand the importance of this relationship. It is a complex one but it is an important one that we get right. So far, the government have completely mismanaged it and, under questions from the opposition today, you would have no confidence that they will be able to fix this relationship, which is such an important one for Australian businesses and Australian workers. It is important that the government show leadership on this issue and come to the Australians on this. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.