Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Human Services, Senator Payne, representing the Minister for Trade and Investment. Has the minister seen claims by the CFMEU that the government has agreed to lower protections for Australians under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement compared to other trade agreements? What is the government's response to these claims?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Lindgren for what is a very important question. I want to make it very clear to the chamber that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has maintained very important protections for Australian workers, just as has been done in both of the other trade agreements that we have concluded, with Japan and Korea.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will support increased trade and investment. Logically, it will help grow Australian jobs and prosperity. But those opposite do not seem to want to grow Australian jobs. Their attempts, and those of the CFMEU, to confuse and mislead about the effect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement's provisions will only threaten the creation of those jobs.

In fact, the approach to labour mobility in this agreement is not new. Commitments on labour mobility are a standard part of trade agreements concluded under both sides of this chamber—Labor and Liberal governments. The labour mobility provisions in this agreement are consistent with Australia's existing immigration policy settings. The agreement will not remove employer nomination and sponsorship requirements under the 457 visa program, including minimum wages and employment and training conditions. Australian employment laws, salaries and conditions will not be undermined, nor will companies be able to avoid paying Australian wages by using foreign workers. These are key safeguards which protect Australian jobs.

As former Labor trade minister Simon Crean has said:

I do not support eroding the labour market testing or eroding the standards. But this agreement does not do that.

So let us get a factual base about this. Let us get on with the real issue: the job opportunities. We diminish our opportunities for jobs going forward if we do not sign this agreement. Simon Crean, former Labor trade minister— (Time expired)

Senator Cameron interjecting—

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

Senator Cameron, I would love to get you a seat like that.

Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister advise the Senate of her response to the claims by the CFMEU that under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement there will be no obligation for local labour market testing for major infrastructure projects?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

(—) (): I am aware of the claims, and they are quite simply false. In fact projects worth more than $150 million will still require labour market testing. The IFAs, or investment facilitation arrangements, are actually modelled on the enterprise migration agreement which, as I recall, was Labor's idea. But there is a key difference. Under the IFA not only is labour market analysis required but also labour market testing is a mandatory requirement. So our investment facilitation arrangement has far more stringent safeguards to ensure that Australian workers get the first opportunity than Labor's EMA ever did. We have in fact done more than Labor ever did to ensure that Australian workers receive the first opportunity on major projects in Australia. That is something that those opposite are not prepared to accept. Their negativity and their campaign against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will only damage opportunities for business in the region. (Time expired)

Jo Lindgren (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister inform the Senate whether the government believes that the CFMEU's campaign against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is xenophobic?

Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Very disappointingly, I find it quite hard to deny that the CFMEU's campaign against the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement is xenophobic. I find it even harder when I hear former presidents of the Australian Labor Party making exactly that criticism. Former Labor president Mr Warren Mundine recently wrote:

Having lived under the shadow of racism my whole life, the bigoted anti-ChAFTA campaign makes me deeply angry. It's embarrassing watching Labor dance around why they oppose ChAFTA when they didn't oppose similar deals with other countries; or why the labour market testing regime isn't good enough for Chinese companies when it's good enough for everyone else.

That is a scathing criticism. It highlights the absolute hypocrisy of the CFMEU to oppose these arrangements when they apply to China but not when they apply to Chile, Japan or Korea. The Labor Party under Mr Shorten and Senator Wong is at odds with very senior former members like Bob Hawke, Martin Ferguson, Bob Carr and Simon Crean. (Time expired)