John Murphy (Reid, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement in connection with the report.

Leave granted.

I am very pleased to join with you, Mr Speaker, to speak about the delegation to the APPF in Ulaanbaatar. Like you, I would like to express our thanks for the warm welcome and the generous hospitality we enjoyed in Mongolia. For me the experience was a very valuable one, not least because of the opportunity to articulate Australia’s trade interests and to observe again the long-term impact of AusAID’s work.

Mr Speaker, as you know, in the plenary I spoke on promoting economic partnership and free trade. This was a useful opportunity for me to discuss Australia’s strategic approach to trade and our sustained work on trade liberalisation. I also spoke about Australia’s approach to trade reform and its contribution to regional structures and work on agreements such as Pacer Plus and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. I also noted the work of APEC in building the prosperity of the Asia-Pacific and the significance of APEC economies to Australia’s economy.

Australia’s work on trade liberalisation over many years has brought benefits to Australia and also to many of the countries represented at the APPF. It was pleasing to see acknowledgement of that work. It was also reassuring to see general acceptance of the need to continue a regional commitment to free trade, even as many countries are still recovering from the global financial crisis and may be tempted to adopt protectionist measures.

I refer to another aspect of Australia’s work in the region. As you remarked, Mr Speaker, the Vice-Chairman of the Parliament, Mr Enkhbold, was able to study in Australia because of an AusAID scholarship. Clearly he valued that part of his education and the relationships he established here. Mr Enkhbold has continued his links with Australia through the Mongolia Australia Society which is made up of not just expatriate Australians but also Mongolians who have been able to live and study in Australia, often because of AusAID assistance. It is clear that the capacity that is built and the relationships that are formed through education are of long-term benefit for the recipients and for Australia’s reputation. We appreciated the welcome Mr Enkhbold extended to us, particularly as he was fully occupied with APPF obligations.

We also appreciated the expert assistance of a member of the Mongolian parliament’s secretariat, Mr Amartuvshin Amgalanbayar. Amartuvshin, as you know, studied at Monash University—he is a Mozzie—and we were very fortunate to have him as our liaison officer. Not only was he unperturbed by our accents and customs but also he managed to anticipate just about every possible need and to meet it before we managed to ask about it. As you mentioned, we were also fortunate to have the assistance of Mr Charles Adamson, the First Secretary in Seoul. His knowledge of Mongolia and of many of the issues under consideration was valuable to us throughout the meeting.

It certainly was an Australia Day that we will never forget, the coldest we will ever experience. But I am sure we are very grateful to have been able to spend it with our colleagues in such an interesting place and at the same time to represent the parliament. Finally, Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you for your leadership of the delegation and I would also like to thank your senior adviser, Mr Christopher Paterson, and Ms Catherine Cornish, the delegation secretary, who provided excellent support and assistance to the delegation. They did a first-class job.

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