Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Indeed, I have expressed, as has our government, our deep dissatisfaction and concern with the actions of China in a number of areas disrupting trade by Australian exporters into that market. We have, as a government, used and stood by the rules based international trading system, based around the World Trade Organization. We have done so by initiating a dispute with our friends in India on concerns about sugar subsidies. We, indeed, initiated a dispute with our friends in Canada in relation to wine subsidies. In that matter, we settled the arrangements with Canada on those wine issues following dialogue and discussion. I emphasise that just because you get to the point of initiating a WTO dispute it doesn't take dialogue off the table. The opportunity will always remain to do so, and whilst we consult and consider initiating such action against China in relation to barley, we also wish the Chinese government would come to the table and be willing, as Australia is, to have that dialogue to resolve these disagreements. (Time expired)