Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much Member for Mackellar for your question. You are the member for a great electorate. There is a company in the member's electorate I want to talk about in just a second. In relation to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement I want all Australians, particularly those working in small business, to know that this is a great opportunity for you and it is a great opportunity for your children and grandchildren.

It is important to understand that the TPP comprises almost 40 per cent of the world's GDP. The 12 countries that negotiated the TPP process and outcome, including Australia—and I congratulate the Minister for Trade and Investment—really have created a great opportunity into the future for their respective countries. There will be an opportunity for Australians here to travel overseas. The young Australians graduating from universities or from the trades will be able to work in countries in a way that they have not been able to in the past. That is going to be a significant win for this economy and it is going to be great for Australian families.

I want to concentrate on a company that started as a small business, Blackmores, which is in the electorate of the member for Mackellar. The CEO of Blackmores, Christine Holgate, a dynamic person and a good friend to many people in this place, spoke about the benefits of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. She spoke about its benefits to the company and about being able to increase the number of staff here in Australia by 100. Another 100 people will be employed just because of that one free trade agreement, which would increase the number of staff in the business to just under 1,000.

The experience with the TPP will mean that companies like Blackmores can employ more Australians and many of those Australians will find work not just here but by being able to travel overseas, on visas, to countries including Canada and elsewhere, to make sure that they can gain the experience there or be involved in those businesses that have now been able to expand into other countries. That is a great outcome for our economy.

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The reason that Labor does not get this—and I hear the member for Sydney interjecting—is that none of them come from a small business background.

Honourable members interjecting—

I do not know if it is inappropriate, Mr Speaker, but I might just ask colleagues on my side if they could perhaps put their hand up if they have been involved in a small business. I think it is pretty instructive. Now, excluding the union hacks over there, how many of you have been involved in small business? Hands up.

Honourable members interjecting—

One—just one—and your preselection is at threat. Watch out, Mr Danby, your preselection is at threat. You are not a trade-union favoured candidate and you could be targeted.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will bring himself back to the question.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Minister for Immigration and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point of this is that this is the reason that this side of the parliament gets small business— (Time expired)