Australian businesses are urging the Coalition to get back to the table on the Australia-EU free-trade agreement as the Opposition splits over whether to oppose the deal.
Nationals leader Matt Canavan last week declared the Liberals and Nationals opposed the $10bn-a-year deal despite the issue not going before Shadow Cabinet.
Negotiations for the free-trade agreement concluded in March after nearly eight years of talks. While there’s no fixed legal deadline for Australia to make a final decision, there will be growing pressure for the federal Parliament to ratify the legislation over the next year.
Labor insists the deal would benefit farmers — scrapping most tariffs on Australian goods exports to the EU immediately or over phased periods and connecting producers with a consumer market with 450 million people across the 27 member states.
Shadow treasurer Tim Wilson was forced to clarify the Coalition’s position in an ABC interview on Monday, claiming the party hadn’t yet to settle on a formal stance.
“We haven’t seen the legislation, it hasn’t gone to the parliament yet,” Mr Wilson said.
“But we’re certainly opposed to it while going through the parliamentary and Coalition processes that still need to be done.”
Australian Council of Commerce and Industry boss Andrew McKellar welcomed Mr Wilson’s public confirmation that the Opposition’s position remained unsettled.
“Business is encouraged that the Coalition is still considering the agreement,” Mr McKellar said on Monday.
“Today, Australian business is calling on everyone in the Parliament to back a deal that has been worked on across the political divide for the better part of a decade.
“If we lose this opportunity now, we won’t get it back.”
The Coalition’s split has angered some Labor figures, who told The Nightly the Opposition was putting ideology ahead of economic interests, with its stance fuelled by surging populist support for One Nation.
Senator Canavan has raised concerns about climate obligations embedded in the deal, arguing they would allow Europe to dictate environmental standards to Australians.
The obligations include targets under the Paris Agreement, which former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull ratified in November 2016 alongside then foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop and energy minister Josh Frydenberg.
Former Nationals leader David Littleproud backed Senator Canavan’s position, arguing the Coalition should not sign up to a deal simply for the sake of securing an agreement.
“The reality is Matt Canavan is the trade shadow spokesman and he’s right,” he told News24 on Monday.
“The reality is we just don’t sign up to a deal for the sake of signing up to a deal.
“The consequences we’re talking about have significant ramifications. They would tie Australia philosophically and ideologically, and then physically, to many of the climate requirements the European Union has signed up to.
“That means it would force us into a pathway that may not necessarily suit.”
Trade Minister Don Farrell has labelled the deal with the European Union as “a win for Australians” and insisted it would bring “more jobs and more opportunity for Australian businesses, especially in the regions” which the Nationals represent.
Senator Farrell on Monday said he was “deeply concerned” that the Nationals were trying to pull the Liberals into an opposing position and questioned their influence over Angus Taylor.
“Let’s face it, there’s only four of them in the Senate,” the Labor Senator told ABC radio on Monday.
“So, I ask the Liberals to really deeply consider whether they want to be in a position to oppose a free trade agreement.
“Angus Taylor in his maiden speech said he supported free trade.
“Most of the Liberals that I speak to either in the Senate or in the lower house tell me that the party supports free trade.
“What we’re saying to Mr Taylor is ‘stand up to Mr Canavan on this occasion’ because to defeat a new free trade agreement with the Europeans would be an act of economic self-harm for Australia.”