Andrew Robb reaffirms support for China Australia Free Trade Agreement

Trade Minister Andrew Robb has been forced to reaffirm Australia’s support for the China Free Trade Agreement.

Joe Hockey, Chairman Xu Shaoshi, and Andrew Robb at the Australia China Strategic Economic Dialogue in Canberra earlier this month.

Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb has been forced to reaffirm Australia’s support for the China Australia Free Trade Agreement in Hong Kong after he was grilled by local media on union protests against the deal.

Mr Robb invoked the recent market volatility in China to brand the unions’ national campaign “grossly irresponsible”.

It’s understood Mr Robb was asked in four interviews this morning, including Hong Kong radio, about the union protests which this week moved from Queensland to Western Australia where thousands of union members rallied in the streets.

The protests will move to Devonport in Tasmania tomorrow.

The questions prompted a scathing broadside from the minister that the construction union and affiliates “were doing their darnedest to hurt Australia’s reputation”.

“Last time I was in Hong Kong investors raised concerns about Labor in Victoria, again at the behest of the CFMEU, ripping up contracts for the East West link project. Now I’m being asked why on earth are the unions opposing the FTA when it will drive growth as well as critical new investment and thousands of jobs?” Mr Robb told The Australian from Hong Kong.

Mr Robb said he was striving to reassure China.

“My message to Chinese officials and investors is that we are absolutely committed to the FTA and that this is just an unfortunate but well resourced campaign being run by

a disgraced union to divert attention away from the almost daily exposure of their corrupt activities, rorts, thuggery and blackmail”.

“It is not supported by the broader community”.

There was confusion particularly given Bill Shorten backed the FTA in the Parliament before President Xi, but has since been supportive of the unions’ campaign, which has been led by the construction union and the electrical trades union.

Mr Robb said that “in these volatile and uncertain financial markets the uncertainties created by a rogue union in Australia can lead to material consequence and that is what makes this campaign so grossly irresponsible”.

It’s understood a “very significant” Chinese investor into Australia told Mr Robb, that his company has billions invested and the number of workers he has brought in “does not exceed zero”.

A source said of the union campaign: “It’s obviously resonating here, as it is among the Chinese government.”