Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, we are hopeful that later today the President of China and the Prime Minister of Australia, and, indeed, their trade counterparts, will be signing off on an historic trade agreement. This is, without doubt, good news for all Australians and for the largest market in the world—namely, the people of China. Over all, it is a very, very good deal for both countries that will strengthen our capacity to grow jobs within this country.

The President of China will be addressing a joint sitting of this parliament later on today and, in relation to the specifics of that free trade agreement, it seems only appropriate that no comment be made until such time as the matters are fully disclosed. But having said that, it stands to reason that with any free trade agreement negotiations a country will not get everything it wants. It would, therefore, be fair to say that Australia has not achieved everything that she would have liked; similarly, China has not necessarily achieved everything that China would have liked in these negotiations. But the question has to be asked—