Jo Briskey (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. How have the Prime Minister's recent international meetings advanced Australia's national interest? And why is it important for Australian jobs, trade and industry at home?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Maribyrnong for her question. In all of our international engagements, there is one focus: how do we support Australian jobs? How do we support Australian economic growth? How do we set Australia up for the future? In today's globalised world, what happens around the world has an impact. The Russian invasion of Ukraine had an impact on global inflation in supermarkets, whether in New Zealand, Australia or anywhere else. That is why we very much enjoy constructive engagement. We deal with our partners and allies respectfully in the interests of our national interest.

Recently, in the last month, I've had three meetings with President Trump—in New York, firstly, then an extensive meeting in Washington, DC, where I went with the Minister for Resources and our minister for industry as well, and then, on the sidelines of APEC, we were able to have dinner last week. That is important because the United States is our most important ally. In the engagement that we have with the United States, whether it be the AUKUS arrangements that, of course, have been not just endorsed but strengthened by President Trump, whether it be our defence investments which were endorsed by President Trump or whether it be our critical minerals and rare earths strategy, it is very important that we engage in the opportunity that is there before Australia. This represents an $8.5 billion pipeline of critical minerals projects that's been identified already, where Australia and the United States can work together to create jobs here and to create economic activity and economic benefit right here in Australia as well. Demand is growing, of course, for those minerals, but so is our capacity to value-add to them. One of the things that we want to do is learn the lessons of the past, not just dig up resources, export them and wait for value to be added and jobs to be created somewhere else. We want them created here.

Similarly, at ASEAN and APEC, I met with more than 20 leaders, advocating for Australian trade, jobs and industry at every single opportunity. One in four Australian jobs depends upon our trade, and that's why Australia supports free and fair trade. That's why we engage with our partners, and APEC alone makes up some 75 per cent of Australia's trading relationships. We are trusted and respected in the eyes of the world precisely because we engage respectfully with the world—the public sector and the private sector as well, as evidenced by the event hosted by BHP and Dominic Perrottet in Washington, DC, as well.