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

I thank Senator Whiteaker for her second supplementary question. Queensland exporters will benefit from the elimination of tariffs on wheat, copper, seafood, vegetables and much more. But there's one key thing placing those benefits at risk, and it's those who promise easy solutions. The argument for free trade and against protectionism was aptly put in 2013. I quote:

Those who argue for fortress Australia are wrong. The pursuit of global opportunities in sectors where we can excel will strengthen us.

That apt reflection was in fact made by the Leader of the Opposition in his maiden speech. I say it was easy to argue for barriers. It's easy to tap into the frustrations of a community by blaming the systems. But Australia is an island nation, and we rely on imports just as much as we rely on exports. Each import is a lower cost at the check-out. Each export is a farming or production job— (Time expired)