John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. Will the minister update the House on how key stakeholders have received our landmark trade deal with China, and what risks are there to this agreement?

Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. His extensive commercial experience makes him very well placed to judge the strength of this agreement. About three weeks ago I went to China. I took 35 Australian CEOs there to explore the opportunities that would come to Australia under the China free trade export agreement. I have to say that I was really struck by the remarkable sense of anticipation not just among the 35 CEOs but among all the business people I ran into and interacted with when in China for a few days. It brought home to me the great breadth and depth of this agreement. That mood is consistent with the view expressed today by respected businessman Graham Bradley, who said:

Scorning the FTA would … forgo huge market access benefits that have so much to offer Australia in so many sectors, including agriculture, value-added food products and high-value services.

I have been asked what risks there are to this agreement. Yesterday I dealt with the blatant untruths about labour market testing. Today I want to address the appalling scare campaign by the likes of the ETU and those opposite about the skills assessment of Chinese electricians. The disgraceful advertisements and robocalls are claiming lives will be lost and houses will burn down because of the China free trade agreement. This is grubby politics. Those opposite should be ashamed of this nonsense. The robocalls and ads are frightening the seniors in our community. The truth is that, under the China free trade deal, electricians and other skilled workers from China will be subjected to the exact same skills verification process as visa applicants from 150 other countries—whether it is Japan, Korea, Poland, Chile, Germany, Singapore, the UK, the US or Somalia. You would think we could give our biggest trading partner the same treatment we give Somalia.

There are a raft of requirements that are necessary—skills, qualifications and experience—that have to be presented by the potential Chinese entrants coming here on a temporary basis. Identity, work history, professional education qualifications, professional registration, licensing, previous employers, English language proficiency and more—and they have to register in each state and territory. This is another major untruth— (Time expired)