New trade council to include union boss Daniel Walton

AWU chief Daniel Walton has been appointed to the government’s new trade advisory council.

Australian Workers Union ­national secretary Daniel Walton. Picture: Grant Wells

Australian Workers Union ­national secretary Daniel Walton — who publicly urged Scott Morrison to stand up against Chinese aggression — has been appointed to the government’s new advisory council supporting trade negotiations with the ­European Union and Britain.

The union chief joins industry leaders including Australia Post managing director Christine Holgate, National Farmers Federation president Fiona Simson and Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable on the new 18-member Ministerial Advisory Council.

Speaking at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham will say the government was delivering on its election commitment to “improve transparency in free trade agreements”. He will also call on Australians to holiday at home to support tourism operators struggling with downturns triggered by COVID-19 and the bushfires, citing new figures showing Australians spent more than $65bn overseas in 2019.

“While our international borders remain necessarily closed, enormous opportunity exists to harness the potential of Australians holidaying at home,” Senator Birmingham will say.

“For those Australians who can afford to do so, we want them to feel an almost patriotic duty to get out and support the jobs and small businesses of their fellow citizens by having whatever Aussie holiday they can.”

Senator Birmingham will describe the Ministerial Advisory Council as drawing together a “broad cross-section of industry and civil society representatives to help inform our trade negotiations” with its first priority being the EU free-trade agreement.

Other members of the new council include Australian Small Business Ombudsman Kate Carnell, University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Paul Wellings, Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association chair Kevin Gallagher and Australian Grape and Wine chief executive Tony Battaglene. “The first meeting of this council will be next month and builds on our well-established consultative processes, complementing the important work of the joint standing committee on treaties,” the minister will say.