Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Abetz. Can the minister confirm that sugar has been excluded from the recently concluded China-Australia Free Trade Agreement? When was the National Party informed of this?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, we are hopeful that later today the President of China and the Prime Minister of Australia, and, indeed, their trade counterparts, will be signing off on an historic trade agreement. This is, without doubt, good news for all Australians and for the largest market in the world—namely, the people of China. Over all, it is a very, very good deal for both countries that will strengthen our capacity to grow jobs within this country.

The President of China will be addressing a joint sitting of this parliament later on today and, in relation to the specifics of that free trade agreement, it seems only appropriate that no comment be made until such time as the matters are fully disclosed. But having said that, it stands to reason that with any free trade agreement negotiations a country will not get everything it wants. It would, therefore, be fair to say that Australia has not achieved everything that she would have liked; similarly, China has not necessarily achieved everything that China would have liked in these negotiations. But the question has to be asked—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock. Senator Moore, a point of order?

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my point of order is on direct relevance. Allowing for the minister's position about not releasing detail to the public, it would be useful to know whether the National Party has been advised of the detail of the agreement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Moore. The minister has been relevant. He responded to the first portion of Senator Wong's question. Minister, you have the call; you have 20 seconds remaining.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did you tell TheAustralian newspaper and the SMH and all the newspapers, but not the Senate?

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Wong! The minister has the call.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, he is saying it's confidential; it's in the papers from the government! So you are happy to tell everybody but the Senate? Everybody but the Senate or the National Party!

Honourable senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Senator Wong interjecting—

Government senators interjecting—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The ABC knows. Everybody knows! Do you know? What did you say when they said they'd done over sugar?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I trust that our distinguished overseas visitors have not just witnessed this outburst on the eve of an excellent agreement, an agreement that even Labor's former trade minister Dr Emerson tweeted 'This is as good a deal as could have been hoped for'. Congratulations Andrew Robb and Prime Minister. (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister further confirm that wheat, rice and cotton have been excluded from the recently concluded China-Australia FTA? When was the National Party informed of this?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I repeat my initial answer for the benefit of the honourable senator. I have indicated that I will not be going through chapter and verse of the free trade agreement until it is publicly announced. Having said that, as I indicated before: is everything that we wanted in the agreement? No, it is not. It is similar from the Chinese perspective.

Mr President, I indicate this is going to be an agreement, when announced, that will overwhelmingly be a good deal for Australian workers, for the Australian economy. Indeed, I indicate that these agreements are as a result of excellent work by Chinese and Australian bureaucrats and ministers and first ministers determining that it is within the interests of both the countries and their peoples. (Time expired)

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Can the minister explain why it is appropriate for the government to provide the information asked for to the media but not to the Senate? Will the government now release the full text of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement—not a glossy pamphlet, not a one-page press release, not a photo opportunity, but the full text?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, Senator Wong would well know how these agreements are undertaken and how they are rolled out. Today an announcement was made that agreement had been reached. There will then be a signing ceremony later on today between the relevant trade ministers. After that, there will need to be a comprehensive agreement signed in the two languages—word for word, chapter for chapter—to ensure that everything is as both countries had agreed so as to ensure that the legal document reflects that which had actually been agreed. Will we release it beforehand? Of course not. Exactly like Senator Wong's Labor government did not do either. There is an established practice here. Senator Wong knows it, I know it, and she should be honest with the Australian people. (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator Abetz. I ask: in light of the visit today of President Xi to parliament and, as foreshadowed, the announcement that Prime Minister Abbott and President Xi will witness the signing of an historic free trade agreement, can the minister outline to the Senate the benefits that will accrue to Australia from a free trade agreement with China?

Senator Wong interjecting—

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is great to get a positive question about such an historic arrangement that will hopefully be entered into later on today. This morning the Prime Minister and President Xi announced—

Senator Wong interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Pause the clock.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a point of order, Mr President. Having asked the question from here, I actually cannot hear the answer because of interjections from the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind senators that it is disorderly to interject. The questioner and the answerer must be heard in silence.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning the Prime Minister and President Xi announced the conclusion of negotiations for a tree trade agreement after more than 10 years. The signing of the landmark China-Australia free trade agreement today reflects a new high in the Australian-China relationship. Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Robb, and his Chinese counterpart will later today sign a declaration of intent. This is an undertaking to prepare the text of the agreement for signature.

This high-quality FTA will open significant opportunities for Australia in the world's second largest economy and our largest trading partner. It advances and protects access for our service providers and will attract greater investment into Australia, driving growth and creating jobs.

Senator Wong interjecting—

For Senator Wong's continual interjections, I am only making overarching comment, not talking about specific elements. Importantly, it positions Australia to benefit from China's growth and economic transformation over the coming decades. The China free trade agreement complements those that have already been entered into with South Korea and Japan. This trading bloc represents about 50 per cent of our export markets. That these three free trade agreements have been signed up within the first 12 months of the coalition government just goes to show what you can do when you put your mind to something.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I ask: will the minister outline to the Senate the benefits that will flow into Australia's services sector from the China free trade agreement?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our services sector, apart from the agriculture and resources sectors, will benefit. Senator Back, being the distinguished chair, as he is, of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, has a good understanding of the issues involved and therefore it is not surprising that he shows such a great degree of interest in this historic agreement.

The Chinese-Australian free trade agreement will provide many Australian service industries an unmatched position in China's economy. This will create historic opportunities for Australians and Australian workers. Labor needs to decide whether they support trade or whether they remain slaves to their perverse protectionist philosophy. That is going to be a real challenge for Labor in the days ahead. (Time expired)

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I ask: will the minister apprise the Senate why it has taken some 10 years to conclude this historic agreement between Australia and China?

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said in answer to the first question from Senator Back, it is amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it. On 3 April 2012, former Labor trade minister Craig Emerson said:

Free trade agreements, I think frankly, are overrated in what they can achieve in terms of a relationship between Australia and China.

Off the agenda. On 18 April a year later, Mr Emerson told the Global Food Forum that a comprehensive trade deal with China was 'just beyond both countries'. I am pleased to say that is no longer so. Indeed, Labor's former trade spokesman, Richard Marles, said the idea that the government could conclude the deal with China within a year was 'pure fantasy'. I adopt one of those words: this is fantastic.