James Paterson (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to speak about the critical choice facing the people of Britain on 23 June. They will decide whether to stay in or leave the European Union. From where I sit, the choice is clear: Britain would be more prosperous, free and secure outside the European Union. The European Union project may have begun with good intentions, but the reality is that the EU today has strayed very far from those intentions. It has become bloated, undemocratic and hostile to the freedoms that made Britain great. The cost to the British people and their economy is real. Every week, Britain sends 350 million pounds to Brussels. The cost to Britain's economy of just the 100 top EU rules is more than 33 billion pounds each year.

The UK have lost control of their borders and their laws. They have no power to control the intake of migrants from within the EU. More than half of the laws and regulations passed each year which govern the lives of UK citizens originate not in their own parliament but in a foreign capital, enacted by people who they had no say in electing. They are subject to and bound to failed and immoral policies, like the Common Agricultural Policy, which drives up the cost of food for Europeans and erects barriers to people in the developing world who are only trying to grow food, develop their lives and sell to the Western world.

The main reason for me speaking on this issue tonight is to take the opportunity to address the most common—but, in my view, very misguided—argument for Britain staying in the EU. There are some who argue that the EU would be worse off without Britain's much-needed, sensible and responsible voice in major policy debates. They argue that Australia and the world indirectly benefit from Britain preventing the EU from making worse decisions. There are four main reasons why this is a very bad argument. No. 1 is that if that argument ever had merit, it has long since ceased to be the case. Despite Britain's urgings, the EU has lurched from crisis to crisis and continues to show no signs of willingness to enact sensible reform. The recent failed renegotiation of Britain's own membership of the EU by the Cameron government is further evidence of this.

No. 2 is that we are asking our friends and allies in the United Kingdom to bear a very, very high price for an uncertain benefit for us. To ask them to shackle themselves to the European Union—which lurches from crisis to crisis, which is clearly on the way down and which is hurtling towards possible disintegration—is too great a request to ask of our friends.

No. 3 is that it ignores the very real cost to our relationship with Britain caused by its membership of the EU. For example, a free trade agreement between Australia and the United Kingdom cannot be negotiated because the United Kingdom has no freedom to determine its own trade policies. No. 4 is that an agreement for the free movement of people between the Commonwealth countries, such as Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, also cannot be negotiated because Britain has no freedom to determine those policies.

The best thing for Europe would be for the United Kingdom to leave the EU and to demonstrate how successful, prosperous, free and secure they could be outside the European Union. That would send the best signal to the EU of the kinds of reforms that are necessary to enjoy prosperity and freedom in the 21st century. The worst thing for the EU and the UK would be for them to decide to stay within the EU, suffer the consequences of it and lose the opportunity to demonstrate to the people of Europe that there is an alternative pathway and that there are better policies.

I urge the people of the United Kingdom to consider very carefully their vote on 23 June. It is up to you to decide whether you remain or whether you leave, but rest assured that your friends around the world—including in Australia—would welcome you back into the international community outside the European Union and that you would have a strong, prosperous and stable relationship with us if you chose to do so.