Page 2741 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 12 August 2015
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
The two countries signed the agreement last week, with … Tony Abbott hailing it as “history making”.
The deal could see prices on electronics fall for Australian consumers, and eliminate tariffs on various commodity and agriculture exports to China.
But more than 90 per cent of people surveyed by UMR Research said they would oppose the agreement altogether …
The national secretary of the CFMEU, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, Michael O’Connor, is quoted as saying that the whole economy will be covered by the deal and:
“What we have here is a radical altering of the labour market in our country, we’ve ceded sovereignty to another nation when it comes to regulating our labour market,” he said.
“We have a situation where nearly every sector of our economy will be exposed in this area with a situation where staff, labour, jobs will be offered to Chinese nationals rather than locals.
“We think a whole range of economic activity will be covered by that arrangement, and that means a lot of jobs therefore will be allowed to be sourced exclusively from China.”
Those are not my words; they are the CFMEU’s words. But they do reflect concerns across the country about employment in Australia. The ACT does not share some of those views in regard to the work that we do in China. As Mr Smyth indicated, the Chief Minister has visited China on many occasions talking about trade. I want to distinguish this motion from those conversations. This motion from Mr Smyth is incorrectly worded and is political.
Mr Coe interjecting—
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Mr Coe, next time I will warn you.
Dr Bourke: On a point of order, I realise that you have already called Mr Coe to order but his persistence in interjecting is highly disorderly.
MADAM DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, Dr Bourke. I have already noted that. Mr Gentleman.
MR GENTLEMAN: I will go back to that point. Mr Smyth’s motion is a political attack on the union movement. It is not about, as I said, an anti-Chinese campaign at all. It is an anti-federal government campaign by the union to support jobs in Australia and indeed across our territory as well.
MRS JONES (Molonglo) (3.42): Obviously Mr Gentleman has been practising his gymnastics. Anybody who sat in their car and listened to the anti-Chinese campaign that the CFMEU has been running, this cringe-worthy campaign reminiscent of the
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video