Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased that, after my call for the members opposite to represent their electorates, there are now speakers to follow. I will call on them not only to speak on this legislation but, given that what we are discussing is about the manufacturing sector, to pressure their government to provide positive policies for the manufacturing sector—not a carbon tax to keep driving investment and jobs out of Australia.

On the issue of this bill, as I said last night, there has been no greater acknowledgement of the failure of equity and trade than the failure through Doha to deliver particularly to the agricultural sector. This process has been acknowledged as not having produced a lot that is concrete. It is important that we have effective anti-dumping laws in this nation. World Trade Organisation Director-General Pascal Lamy is on record as saying that the process of trade liberalisation and equalisation is failing. He stated that the gap between member states 'is not bridgeable'. In addition, EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told European lawmakers 'there is no reason to be optimistic' that negotiations can be concluded successfully. That is why, in framing our debate over this bill, we have said that this is a work in progress. Anti-dumping laws are very important and they need to be continued to be worked on to encourage fair trade and to reflect the needs of manufacturers in this nation, be they in food or elsewhere in the broad range of quality manufacturing that we are capable of in this country. The anti-dumping measure we see here is modest in its improvements, but trade must be fair. This is a work in progress and it is on that basis that I support this bill.

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