Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade, Senator Birmingham. Senator Canavan has dismissed the impact of the worsening trade relationship with China on the Australian economy and jobs, saying:

All we're being asked to do is give up our access to cheap TVs.

Is Senator Canavan correct to dismiss the potential impact of this trade dispute on Australian jobs?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I haven't seen the quote attributed to Senator Canavan, and so I won't take at face value the extract without seeing the full context of the remarks that Senator Canavan is likely to have made. As I said before, we do recognise the importance of the trade relationship with China. Indeed, I'm happy to give the Senate some of the detail that I took on notice before in relation to Australia's total two-way trade for goods and services export, valued in 2019 at $251.4 billion. Our goods exports in 2019 were $149.2 billion and, over the latest ABS figures, which are for the 2018-19 period, there were some 8,184 Australian merchandise exporters engaged in trade with China. So indeed these are important jobs.

It's also important that Australia act at all times to behave consistently with our values and our national interest across all spheres. So we do that, seeking to absolutely protect our values as a trading nation: our willingness and desire to engage openly and in a rules based manner, to trade with as many nations as possible and for them to reciprocate in doing so. But we also take very seriously the need to protect our critical infrastructure and our communications system, and to have foreign investment laws that are appropriate and that withstand different strategic challenges that we will face as a nation from time to time. It's crucial that as a country we stand strong, clear and consistent in the approaches we take to those types of issues. That's the approach that our government brings—a steady hand in relation to all aspects of Australia's values and our position—and that is exactly what we'll continue to do, whether it be across strategic spheres or economic spheres.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Watt, a supplementary question?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Speaking of steady hands, earlier this year coalition MP George Christensen set up a website to stoke anti-China sentiment and threatened to summons the Chinese ambassador to answer questions in a parliamentary committee. Has the minister spoken to Mr Christensen about his reckless actions, given the number of jobs dependent on Australia's trade relationship with China?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Christensen is one of many coalition MPs who I have spoken to during the course of this year about Australia's trade and the opportunities in terms of ensuring that we continue to get the perspective right of holding a calm and steady hand in all aspects of our relationship and how we deal with China. This is not a relationship in which we want to see politics played in any sphere, and nor do we want to see that occur in relation to any of our international relationships. That is crucial right across the board. It's a message that applies to anybody, on all sides of the chamber or the crossbench, in that regard—that in relation to our international relationships it is important that we hold to a firm and steady approach in all of the different aspects of the policies that we have to deal with on the international stage.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Watt, a final supplementary question?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Northern Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Former Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, Ambassador to the United States and secretary of the departments of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Defence Dennis Richardson has warned of the impact of gratuitous and inflammatory actions by government members on Australia's relationship with China. Does the minister share his concerns?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said just before, it's my expectation that the best approach across this parliament and, indeed, across our community is for nobody to engage in politically charged or inflammatory approaches in relation to any of our foreign relations. However, it is also important, as Senator Payne articulated clearly in her response earlier today, that we are a free-speaking democracy with a free media. In a free-speaking democracy with a free media, there will be opinions shared from time to time and points of view made from time to time with which we'll not all agree and with which we may have fundamental disagreements. But the value we place on being able to have those commitments or those statements made is crucial and paramount for, indeed, our approach as a free-speaking democracy with a free media. We will defend those rights all of the time whilst ensuring the government's position in our engagement is always true to those and other values.