Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Sterle. He's a great Western Australian senator with a great interest in this issue for his constituents in Western Australia. The lifting of the 80.5% tariff on Australian barley exports last month by Chinese authorities has highlighted the benefits of the Albanese Labor government's approach to engaging in mature dialogue to stabilise the relationship with our largest trading partner. This year I've had three meetings with the Chinese commerce minister, Minister Wang Wentao, including travelling to Beijing in May to co-chair the first meeting between Australian and Chinese trade ministers since 2019. In that meeting we agreed to set up a dialogue under our existing free-trade agreement and other platforms to resolve outstanding trade issues. Bilateral engagement at all levels is intensifying, including this week, with the seventh Australia-China High Level Dialogue taking place. Last week, I, along with Minister Watt and Minister King, was pleased to witness the first Western Australian barley shipment to China in three years, departing from the Kwinana grain terminal—