Mark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Barker for his question. I am sure that, on behalf of the beef exporters, the sheep meat exporters, the dairy products exporters and the wine industry in his electorate, he is interested in knowing where the global trade negotiations are heading from here. From the outset, can I say that it was disappointing that discussions a few weeks ago broke down, as they did in Geneva. That was a disappointment not only for Australia’s farmers and exporters but also for many of the developing countries across the world that are looking for an outcome in this round to give their economies the opportunity to grow and expand.

In answer to the member for Barker’s question, this round of negotiations is not dead. It is very close to just hanging on by a thread but it is not dead. The opportunity still exists to close the gap. What members opposite also know is that there are 149 members of the WTO and they all have to agree on an outcome. Australia has been playing the role of an honest broker in trying to bring the major parties closer and closer together so that we can deliver on the objectives we have set ourselves. There has been some significant progress made since we launched this round in 2001, and I instance one aspect of it. There was a commitment at the Hong Kong ministerial meeting last year to eliminate export subsidies by 2013. That would mean, for example, the opportunity of an extra $600 million worth of business for the Australian dairy industry if those export subsidies were eliminated. That opportunity is still in prospect.

We know what is needed to be done to achieve an ambitious outcome on market access in agriculture and industrial goods, and we know what is required to be done to achieve an ambitious outcome in reducing the level of domestic support for agriculture across the world, so we have been playing an honest broker role. We remained in contact with the major players since the negotiations were suspended in Geneva. In fact, in the coming weeks and months, we will be participating at different levels in discussions to try to restart these negotiations. Meetings are coming up with ASEAN ministers in Malaysia in a couple of weeks time, and we will be hosting a meeting of the 20th annual meeting of the Cairns Group, a group started during the Uruguay Round in Cairns—

See this speech in context