Bob Katter (Kennedy, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, Mr Speaker, and my apologies to the House for being late. The Americans, it will be recalled, introduced immediately very serious subsidisation measures on the two occasions that the steel industry has been threatened. When their aluminium industry was threatened, they immediately moved for an international agreement on aluminium. This is done through the WTO. A lot of people in this place do not even remotely understand the WTO document. The WTO document has a specific provision that when an industry is under threat by an action, as the banana industry is in Australia at the present moment, then the government is entitled to take emergency measures to rescue or help that industry whether by subsidies, tariffs, or quotas—whatever action the government needs to take. In relation to AQIS and whatever they name the biosecurity arm—I am sure they will be changing the name again shortly because of its unpopularity—the government has an onus to disclose to the Australian people what is going to be the downside of that AQIS decision.

There is no question in this case that, if one box of bananas crosses the coast into Australia, then the jobs of 6,000 people who are employed in that industry will vanish within two years. Bananas in Australia are a very high-labour-input item, whereas the wages paid in the Philippines are $4.02 a day. I do not think we are going to be able to compete against bananas produced by people who work for $4.02 a day.

AQIS must be the gang that cannot shoot straight. I have said in the House that, if you are just going to say yes to every application, could we please have the Kuridala CWA?

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