Ian Macfarlane (Groom, Liberal Party, Minister for Industry and Science) Share this | Hansard source

As a person who has spent a long time farming, he knows the benefits of this FTA and what it will provide to our primary industries in Australia, not only our agricultural industries but our mining and resources industries as well. Under the FTA, 95 per cent of our exports to China, such as wine, beef, seafood, lamb and of course resources, will be entirely duty-free. An elimination of tariffs on coal, for instance, and other minerals will earn this country and the companies involved some $600 million. That is exactly what the mining industry needs right now—no delay; right now—so that we can ensure that they remain viable and continue to employ Australians.

Not only is the deal good for Australians, but Australians recognise that it is good for them. Sally McPherson, who runs a Queensland-based earthmoving equipment business called iSeekplant, which employs some 17 people, said recently:

The China deal will make mining more competitive and that will be good for jobs in Australian businesses like ours—

referring to her business—and:

A delay to the trade deal will stall that investment and jobs growth, with enormous consequences for our economy.

That is a businessperson saying it like it is. As the member for Parkes knows, I was recently twice in his electorate, to open two coalmines. One was the Idemitsu mine, which is a $360 million investment that employs local people and supports local businesses. As well as that we saw the Whitehaven Maules Creek mine open just recently. Along with the $767 million investment and the 450 jobs that it provided—the most important feature of those jobs being that 15½ per cent of them are held by Indigenous Australians—we are seeing the advantage of the resource industry and the advantage of supporting the resource industry through this FTA.

I know the Labor Party has trouble when it comes to the coal industry. They do not know whether they support the jobs in it or not. We have seen the Labor Party in the Newcastle City Council vote against coal jobs, and we cannot hear a word from the Leader of the Opposition. Does he support coal jobs or not? Or is he so concerned about the Greens preferences that he is ignoring the workers in the coal industry? We need to see this free trade agreement initiated and put in place immediately to make sure that we are supporting the jobs of Australians working in the coal industry.

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