MADELEINE KING MP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE
MEMBER FOR BRAND
 

SCOTT MORRISON MISLEADS AUSTRALIANS ON TRADE
 

Scott Morrison has been caught out misleading Parliament over the Labor Party’s record on trade deals that benefit Australian workers by creating jobs.

In Question Time today, the Prime Minister said Labor “tried to start plenty but they couldn’t conclude any” agreements.
 
He added: “When it comes to trade, the Labor Party were a dud.”
 
This is plainly wrong.
 
In Labor’s previous term in government, we concluded the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area Agreement in 2010.
 
This comprehensive agreement brought together Australia, New Zealand and the 10 nations of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, which comprises Brunei,  Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
 
The AANZFTA was Australia’s first multi-country free trade agreement and the first time Australia and New Zealand were involved jointly in negotiating an FTA with third countries.
 
It was the first time ASEAN had embarked on FTA negotiations covering all sectors including goods, services, investment and intellectual property simultaneously.
ASEAN and New Zealand together account for just under one-fifth cent of Australia’s total trade in goods and services.
 
In addition, the former Labor government concluded bilateral trade agreements with Chile in 2009 and Malaysia in 2010.
 
It also launched the negotiations for the Korea-Australia FTA (KAFTA) as well as the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), which passed through the Senate last week with Labor’s support.
 
Labor has a long and proud record in pursuing trade agreements that are in the interests of Australian workers.
 
Mr Morrison has again been caught out misleading Australians. This Government should be more honest.