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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-04-03 Daily Xml
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Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for Trade and Investment. What action, if any, did or will the minister and/or the Premier take to advocate on behalf of South Australian exporters and traders to enforce the terms of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement?

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS (Cheltenham—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:09): I thank the member for Chaffey for his question. I will certainly invite the member to ask the Premier of his appetite and actions or otherwise, and I don't seek to speak for him. What I can speak to directly is the efforts of the state government, the efforts of the Department of State Development and certainly mine as minister.

But what I can perhaps inform the member of immediately is that it is not for state governments to seek to enforce constitutionally enshrined commonwealth matters, and that is bilateral free trade agreements. The signatory to the free trade agreement is the commonwealth government of Australia and, as we have seen time and time again, we are in the hands of a good, sound, responsible federal government. The Albanese government is not only talking the talk but walking the walk when it comes to trade.

For the comfort of the member, in answering the question which was directly to the enforceability of international trade agreements can I speak to the efforts made by the commonwealth government in returning full trade to China? The Albanese government, coming into government, faced the prospects of a fundamental breach of trading order. There were very clear statements and very clear agendas from the Albanese government to do two things, the first of which was to ensure that for international trade agreements, matters that can be litigated at the WTO are done so. The Prime Minister today has already—

Mr Patterson: So what are you doing?

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: What I won't be doing is lodging action in the World Trade Organization.

Mr Telfer: Not what he said.

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: It was, because the question was, 'What will the government be doing to enforce the terms of a free trade agreement?' I am sorry to be the one who breaks the bad news to the member for Morphett—the former trade minister, no less. Just talk to the department about his years. The question is: what will the state government be doing about—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left will come to order and listen to the minister in silence.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta can leave until the end of question time. I just said, 'Can members on my left listen to the answer in silence.' It's getting a little rowdy on the right as well.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.K. SZAKACS: The question from the member was, 'What will South Australia be doing to pursue the legal enforcement of free trade agreements?' As should be known to those opposite, that is directly and entirely a matter of standing for the federal government. Today, I am very pleased to hear that the commonwealth government has both reserved and foreshadowed the prospects of WTO action in the event of matters failing to resolve in the interests of South Australians and Australians. That is a good thing.

So, to the satisfaction of the member if he wasn't watching the news this morning, the Prime Minister, as the Prime Minister should, was leading from the front and was acknowledging that the place for this to be litigated is the World Trade Organization. Much to the disappointment of those opposite, that is the federal government.

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