Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

particularly to Western Australia, which at this time is facing an election very soon. We want to remind them of the huge benefits in international education, in opening up services and in agriculture from their particular part of the world that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will bring and that the Labor Party is trying to sabotage. Labor is actually trying to sabotage jobs and growth for Western Australians. On Saturday, when voters go to the polls, they need to remember that this side of the House is in favour of jobs and growth, that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will bring, while that side of the House is dancing to the tune, instead, of the CFMEU, the MUA and others, and trying to stop those jobs and that growth from flowing.

I am asked about the support that we have received for the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. The wonderful work done in advocacy by the Minister for Trade and Investment has brought a lot of people out in support of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, especially because of the risk that Labor pose to it and to the economy; groups like the National Farmers' Federation, the Business Council of Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and small-business representative organisations across Australia.

I picked up a speech recently which I had started to read and I was terribly impressed by some of the things contained in the speech, lines like:

… trade benefits working people.

…   …   …

Trade is especially important for growth at the moment when the economy faces headwinds.

…   …   …

Refusing to enter into trade agreements will allow our competitors to gain market share at Australia's expense.

…   …   …

Miners, manufacturing workers, food processing workers, truck drivers, wharfies, warehousing workers, shop assistants—their jobs all depend on exports and imports.

They sound like the people of south-western Perth in Canning. I thought that this was an excellent speech, that Andrew Robb has given another great speech. But, no, it was not Andrew Robb. That surprised me. I thought that maybe Julie Bishop had been out and about talking about the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. It was not Julie Bishop. I thought that perhaps Treasurer Joe Hockey had delivered another speech to the National Press Club—and I agree with everything he said. But, no—

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