Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hunter for this important motion and acknowledge his strong commitment to the regions and to our farmers and producers not only in the Hunter but across Australia. We've been in power for four years. The coalition was in power for four years before that during the negotiations. It couldn't land this agreement. So it's petty and mean spirited that the coalition continue to whine and moan and carp and whinge about this agreement when, if they had landed this agreement, the new Jerusalem would have been achieved. Valhalla has arrived, heaven on earth is here—if they had landed this agreement.

But of course they're whingeing and moaning and carping. This is so typical of the Liberal and National parties when Labor does trade agreements. We've signed a landmark, once-in-a-generation trade agreement with the European Union, the world's second-largest economy. Where's the Liberal and National parties' trade nationalism? Where's their 'team Australia' they used to give us lectures about when they were in government? They are over there whingeing and carping and moaning.

The Australia-EU trade agreement will lower trade and investment barriers between Australia and the EU, a massive $30 trillion economy with around 450 million people. It's a terrific outcome. It's worth $10 billion for the Australian economy on an annual basis. Of course, our relationship with Europe is grounded in a shared belief in democratic institutions, human rights and inclusive societies. This world's a pretty unpredictable place at the moment, and the best way to navigate it is with those who have like-minded attitudes and with middle partners like the European Union and the countries that make it up. That's why, last year, the government committed to stepping up our cooperation with the EU. This is a comprehensive, balanced, commercially meaningful agreement that will reduce costs for Australian consumers, open up new markets—those opposite can't deny that—to Australian producers and diversify our trade. It's a win-win. It removes tariffs on key Australian exports, including wine, seafood and horticulture. It means our clean, green, high-quality Australian produce, including beef, lamb, dairy, rice and sugar, will have access to consumers in the European market.

It's good for my home state, with more Australian beef and sheepmeat produced by Queenslanders destined for European supermarkets. Local beef farmers in my electorate will benefit from greater opportunities. Two of the country's biggest meat processors, JBS Dinmore in Ipswich and Kilcoy Global Foods based in Kilcoy and Coominya, in the Somerset Region, have the opportunity for more market access to the EU. These businesses employ thousands of people in my electorate, and now there's greater opportunity. This is a hard-fought agreement which will benefit Australian consumers and businesses and provide more choice in goods and services at cheaper prices, including important inputs for our manufacturing and primary industry sectors. The services sector will also benefit. It's worth nearly $10 billion to the Australian economy. The agreement provides greater opportunities for suppliers, investors and professionals. That's critical as well.

It's worth noting that our growing relationship with Europe extends beyond trade and investment. Last week, the government also announced the signing of the new Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership, which will strengthen cooperation across the defence industry, maritime security and cybersecurity as well as countering terrorism and disinformation.

I note that those opposite and some industry groups have been critical of the beef and sheepmeat quotas in the agreement, so I want to point out a few facts. When we were elected in 2022, beef exports in total were worth $9 billion. They're now $18 billion, or double that, and growing. Last year, our beef exports to the EU were 4,000 tonnes. This agreement provides guaranteed preferential access for 35,000 tonnes, more than eight times the current export, in a market we've been largely locked out of for the last 30 years. People would take years and years to be able to eat an Australian steak. As part of the agreement, there is an ability to go back to see if we can increase volumes and get a better outcome in the future. For sheepmeat, the agreement allows for nearly 31,000 tonnes, or five times our current market access.

Where are the NFF on this? They should be supporting this agreement, not criticising it. Overwhelmingly, this is a good deal for Australia, and agriculture has come out in support of it. Ninety-five per cent of the industry supports it. Ultimately, the government has made a balanced judgement and a national interest assessment of the deal in its totality. Given the improved offers we've received from the Europeans, the timing and the need to send a message together that we still believe in free trade over protectionism, now was the time to sign this agreement. And here's the rub: the trade agreement the Europeans have just signed with India has no agricultural access at all. No future agreement that the EU enters into will achieve that agricultural access, so this is a good agreement.

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