Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley once again for her question. Yes, you're right, yesterday I had a great meeting with the director-general. It was a very warm and friendly meeting. Of course, she's a great friend of our former Prime Minister, Prime Minister Gillard. Her visit provided an opportunity to discuss how we can continue to work together to address the challenges facing the multilateral trading system. A key issue discussed was the need to ensure that we have a properly-functioning dispute-settlement system. I also emphasised the importance of addressing trade-distorting agricultural subsidies.

In recognition of the importance of the WTO to Australia's economic resilience, Australia committed $5 million to help developing countries and less-developed countries access to the benefits of WTO membership. (Time expired)