SENATOR PENNY WONG, TOPICS: CHINA FTA, MARRIAGE EQUALITY

SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONG

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE

SHADOW MINISTER FOR TRADE AND INVESTMENT

LABOR SENATOR FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

TRANSCRIPT

2 July 2015

ABC NEWS RADIO BREAKFAST

SANDY ALOISI: The Federal Opposition is this morning pushing the Trade Minister Andrew Robb to fully explain the impact of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement. There are concerns the deal may not maintain safety standards in Australian workplaces. Penny Wong is the Shadow Minister and the Opposition Leader in the Senate and she’s speaking here to Steve Chase.

STEVE CHASE: Senator Wong, good morning.

SENATOR PENNY WONG, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION IN THE SENATE: Good morning, Steve.

CHASE: In general what are the concerns that you want clarification from Andrew Robb on?

WONG: I think Mr Robb really needs to break his silence, get out from behind the staged signing ceremonies and the flag waving and tell Australians what this deal really means. Labor wants a high quality agreement, we want an agreement that gives our firms greater access to the Chinese market and supports and creates jobs. There are a number of issues which have been raised since  the text was released and Mr Robb really does have an obligation to tell Australians how this agreement will work in practice. He does have an obligation to explain it.

CHASE: Yeah, but specifically what are you talking about? Are you talking about safety standards? Are you talking about some visas?

WONG: There are a number of issues. The first is: what safeguards have been put in place to ensure Australian workers have access to job opportunities on Australian worksites? He needs to explain why he appears to have agreed to remove mandatory skills assessment for trades, such as electricians. Why has he done that and what are the safeguards which remain? He’s been conspicuously silent on the issues which have been raised in the media and that’s unfortunate, as if this is a good deal he should be out there explaining it to Australians.

CHASE: So, what is the scope for addressing your concerns? One suspects you can’t do it legislatively. The deal has to be endorsed, one assumes, in its entirety, rejected, or amended in some way.

WONG: The Parliament will go through its normal processes of assessing the treaty and obviously this is an agreement which has had both parties of government involved in negotiating it. What will happen is this agreement will go to a couple of Parliamentary committees, it will go through a proper process of assessment. The point I’m making is that we’ve had a number of concerns publicly raised. Andrew Robb seems to be very happy to be part of media opportunities around this very important agreement, but he seems to be extremely reticent about telling Australians how the agreement will actually work and he should do so.

CHASE: Now, the same-sex marriage debate has taken a significant step forward with Warren Entsch and Teresa Gambaro announcing they’re bringing forward legislation next month, but do you fear it may not advance given what we’re told is the Prime Minister’s opposition to it?

WONG: I think all Australians who support equality fear that Tony Abbott will simply continue to act as a road block. One of the very important things to understand is that whether or not the bill is fully debated and whether or not it is voted on is entirely a gift of the Government, and given how we know how the Government works, it’s entirely a gift of the Prime Minister. He can decide whether this bill for marriage equality is properly debated and whether it is brought to a vote. That is a matter for the Government, which has the majority in the House of Representatives. It’s very unfortunate that Tony Abbott keeps putting up different obstacles to marriage equality coming to a vote. He puts up different obstacles to it even being debated in his party room, whether or not there should be a free vote. 

CHASE: But you have certain rules in the Labor party room, as does the Liberal Party. They can’t be tossed aside for whatever reason.

WONG: Let’s be clear, there is a free vote inside the Labor Party on this, there is no free vote inside the Liberal Party, they are all bound to oppose. Second, Tony Abbott has said over and over again that if a bill came before the Parliament he would allow the party room to consider it. Well, that hasn’t happened. We also know from comments that were made yesterday that he appears to be hedging, baulking, at the possibility of this bill being debated and voted on in the Parliament. That is entirely a matter he controls. He is the Prime Minister. He has the majority on the floor of the House of Representatives. The Government controls whether or not it can even be brought to a vote. Now, I want to acknowledge the work of those inside the Liberal Party, people like Warren Entsch, who are prepared to work with other Members of Parliament to bring this on, and it really is time Tony Abbott got out of the way.

CHASE: Your opposite number in the Senate, the Government Leader in the Senate, Eric Abetz, he’s taken to print today. You’ve obviously read what he’s written. He’s declared that the fight for same-sex marriage isn’t over. He further goes on to criticise what he called the ‘activist US Supreme Court’ which has ruled on this matter last week, accusing the media of losing its objectivity on this issue. If Senator Eric Abetz is against it and he’s saying that it isn’t over, you’ve got a fight on your hands, haven’t you?

WONG: Of course we’ve got a fight on our hands. I have said on a number of occasions, there’s no doubt the majority of the community support marriage equality. There’s also no doubt that if we’re going to get the Parliament to shift position we’re going to have to work very hard and campaign, because those who oppose us, those who oppose the principle of equality, will fight very hard and will do everything they can to block this matter, this important issue coming to the floor of the Parliament, will do everything they can to try and prevent a free vote inside the Liberal Party.

CHASE: Penny Wong, thanks for joining us on ABC News Radio Breakfast.

WONG: Great to speak with you.