Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2026-2027
Mr HOGAN (Page—Deputy Manager of Opposition Business) (17:42): I acknowledge the minister in the chamber, and I have some specific questions, especially in relation to the EU deal, compared to the UK deal that we did when in government, because there's a stark contrast. But I want to pick up a couple of things about trade. I acknowledge the great work the coalition did when in government.
As members would remember, when we came to government in 2013, about 20 per cent of goods and services that Australia exported were covered by free trade agreements, and by the time we left government it was 80 per cent. There were 15 or 16—I forget which number—multilateral or bilateral trade agreements that we did, including the CPTPP, which was significant, but also Korea, Malaysia and China.
We set up a lot of free trade agreements in government because we believe in free trade. We have always been the country that has driven trade deals, and we have been very successful at it. Members have been talking about fuel security.
I want to remind everyone in this chamber right now that we sell about $650 billion worth of stuff overseas every year, and there are four big ones: coal, iron ore, gas and food/agriculture. They're the four big ones, and they add up to about $400 billion worth of stuff. Everyone was talking just now about what the government has been doing to guarantee fuel security—speaking to some of the leaders across South-East Asia and trying to guarantee that we would get fuel supply.
Do you know what they were guaranteeing in return? There was something they went up there with. They said, 'If you give us and guarantee us the fuel supplies that we need, do you know what we'll make sure we guarantee you?
We will guarantee you all the coal and all the gas and all the iron ore that we sell you.' That was what we had to trade. I never hear it, but I'd love members opposite in the chamber to get up and celebrate our coal industry, to get up and celebrate our gas industry and to get up and celebrate our iron ore industry, because they are the industries that the ministers had as leverage to get our fuel supplies.
The other thing— Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting— Mr HOGAN: Matt, I'll take the interjection. Have you ever celebrated the word—have you said 'coal' in the House? Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting— Mr HOGAN: Have you said the word 'coal'?
Mr Thistlethwaite: Australian resources— Mr HOGAN: Oh, 'Australian resources'! They can say 'resources'. The Treasurer obviously said the names of the things that we sell overseas.
They can say 'resources', but they can't say the word 'coal'. Some of them could say the word 'gas'—many of them couldn't say the word 'gas' either—but none of them can say the word 'coal'. Celebrate it.
It's how your ministers went up and guaranteed our fuel supplies. Coal was an important part of that, as was gas, so celebrate that. The other thing I'll remind those opposite of as well—I don't know if any of you are regional—is the $400 billion worth of stuff.
You need to be reminded. That $400 billion worth of stuff all comes—the main things that come out of Australia are regional. There are no coalmines in your electorates, there are no meat abattoirs in your electorate, there's no gas— Ms Ambihaipahar interjecting— Mr HOGAN: I'll take the interjection.
What's the interjection? Ms Ambihaipahar: We know where they are. Mr HOGAN: Good.
I'm reminding you. I'm just reminding you: you don't have them. So respect them.
Just because you don't have them doesn't mean you shouldn't respect them. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Swanson ): I ask that all comments come through the chair, please. Thank you.
Mr HOGAN: Celebrate those industries. I remind you all that country Australia, regional Australia, is the backbone of this nation. We export everything.
We are the electorates and the parts of Australia that sell everything. So thank us; don't demonise us like you do. Don't demonise regional Australia.
Don't demonise coal workers, don't demonise gas workers and don't demonise farmers, as you do, with the way they farm and what they do. Actually, Deputy Speaker Swanson, I'll give you a shout-out because I'd say you're one of the few Labor MPs who know what I'm saying, and you do respect it. You respect the coal industry, you respect the gas industry, you respect iron ore and you respect food.
I know that you have a bit of a battle sometimes with some of your inner-city, wokey, leftie caucus members, who don't support those industries. So good on you. I know you agree with everything I've said, being a regional MP and supporting that wonderful backbone.
I'm running out of time, but I just want to make some comparisons. In the UK FTA, we got 170,000 tonnes of beef. The EU deal—35,000 tonnes.
In the UK FTA, we got 220,000 tonnes of sugar. The EU deal—45,000 tonnes. One hundred and twenty-five thousand tonnes of lamb—shocking deal!
(Time expired)