China-Australia Free Trade Agreement

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:53): Will the MOU being signed this evening by the Shandong province be affected if the Labor Party blocks the China free trade agreement in federal parliament?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:53): No, I do not believe it will. The memorandum of agreement that we are about to sign with the Shandong province commits both my government and the Shandong government to cooperation in a series of areas that will lead to greater flows of investment and greater discourse between our two jurisdictions in terms of trade. This is a magnificent thing for South Australia. We have really hit the jackpot by building a relationship with one of the states in China which 29 or 30 years ago we could not have anticipated would now have grown to be the third largest economy in China—a trillion US dollar per annum economy.

They enjoy excellent relations with the state of South Australia and I hope they continue to enjoy this excellent relationship with us. I have ensured that the Leader of the Opposition and, in fact, the shadow minister for trade have been invited to this evening's function and I hope that they can also communicate our bipartisan support for this very important relationship with China.