Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

Your Excellency, on behalf of the coalition and federal opposition, it's a privilege to welcome you here to the parliament, and it's a pleasure to welcome you back to Australia. To your 'guten tag', I say 'g'day'.

Yours is a historic visit. It's the first time a president of the European Commission has addressed the Australian parliament, as we've heard, and, on such a historic occasion, it's important to acknowledge the historic achievement of Europe that is Western civilisation. After all, Australia is part of that civilisation—an heir to the European achievement. We too are the beneficiaries of democracy, born in ancient Greece, and the laws, civics and engineering feats of ancient Rome. We too are the beneficiaries of the great transformations of the Renaissance that spread from Italy and of the Reformation that spread from Germany. We too are the beneficiaries of Christianity's influence on values and science's influence on reason. We too are the beneficiaries of the great changes that arose from the revolution in France and from the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. And we too are the beneficiaries of the imagination of European builders and painters and the inspiration of European composers and writers. When Europeans set sail on treacherous seas to discover and settle unknown lands, they brought legacy with them—some good, some not so good—but Australia has been gifted with the institutions and ideas of an enlightened Europe.

Madam President, with your presence here today, we express our gratitude for the European achievement that is Western civilisation, and we acknowledge the contributions that European migrants have made to Australia over many generations, especially after the Second World War. Many people displaced by conflict in Europe found a new home in Australia. They took up tools, and they became nation builders. They also became proud Australians. Hydroelectric schemes in the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania were amongst the labours of love for European migrants who cherished their new home. The legacy of postwar European immigration can be seen across Australia today in the infrastructure constructed, the businesses started, the homes built, the food we eat and the people we are. Australia became a new home for many Jewish Europeans who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. I commend their many contributions and express our solidarity with Australians of Jewish faith. May all of us who cherish our way of life work to expunge the cancer of antisemitism that has afflicted our societies.

Madam President, Australians and Europeans today aren't just the beneficiaries of that way of life; we are the custodians. In these precarious times, we must defend and protect the inheritance we cherish. And, as you appreciate, there are many threats—authoritarian regimes whose behaviour has exposed the rules based international order to be wishful thinking of a more benign and bygone era, regimes committed to conquest, coercion and control. The only deterrence to such authoritarian regimes is Western strength.

Madam President, unquestionably, you are one of the unfaltering champions of Ukrainian freedom. I commend all you're doing to lead Europe's support for the heroes of Ukraine. Australia steadfastly supports Ukraine too as it strives for a strong peace. As the European parliament has declared, a threat to one democracy is a threat to every democracy. A failure to deter the enemies of democracy in Europe will embolden them the world over, including the Indo-Pacific. That's why the coalition applauds the signing of the Australia-EU Security and Defence Partnership. We stand together with clarity about what must be defended and what is worth fighting for. So, Madam President, I also applaud the joint statement of nations who are willing to lend support to restore safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. It was commendably signed by no less than 15 European nations, and I'm pleased the Australian government has now signed this statement too.

Another mutual threat is Islamic extremism. In Europe and in Australia, the generosity of liberal democracies has been exploited. We've opened our doors to some people who don't want to embrace our culture, who want to erase it. The doors must be shut. Our culture can only survive by putting our values at the very centre of our immigration policies.

A third threat is dependency. Europeans and Australians have become dependent on trading with nations in critical supply chains where there are real risks. But the age of free trade has not ended. Our goals of greater resilience, greater self-reliance and re-industrialisation are best served by working more closely with true and trusted friends. We believe in free trade. We know a good free trade agreement underpins mutual economic prosperity, and we must stand united against tariff barriers.

The coalition has a notable record in delivering high-quality free trade agreements. I think of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement that we signed in December 2021. That agreement removed tariffs on more than 99 per cent of the goods exported to the UK. In any free trade agreement, Australia must not trade away its sovereignty. It must not limit its ability to make decisions in the national interest or protect our way of life. While the federal opposition will scrutinise all aspects of the free trade agreement between Australia and the EU, we commend the spirit in which it has been made. I acknowledge Mathias Cormann, Australia's former finance minister and now secretary-general of the OECD, the founding father of this agreement.

Madam President, we welcome you to our parliament and we welcome you to our country we are all so proud of.

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