Trade deals ‘bad for jobs’, says Sarah Hanson-Young

Sarah Hanson-Young in Davos says trade deals, TPP “bad for Australian jobs”, despite a record 400,000 jobs created last year.

Sarah Hanson-Young has attacked trade deals such as the TPP. Picture: AAP.

Greens trade spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young says the succession of trade deals the Coalition government has signed up to have been “bad for Australian jobs”, despite a record 400,000 new jobs being created last year.

Speaking from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Senator Hanson-Young said the new Trans-Pacific partnership, struck earlier this week between Australia and 10 other Pacific Rim countries, may have got rid of “some of the worst bits” of the deal originally devised with the co-operation of the Obama Administration, but was “still pretty bad”.

One of the Greens’ key concerns is Investor State Dispute Settlement provisions, which they argue could allow foreign companies to sue Australian government over laws such as tobacco plain packaging.

On Wednesday Mr Ciobo described the ISDS concerns as an “absurd scare campaign”, saying the provisions more often worked to protect Australian investments abroad.

Senator Hanson-Young said Mr Ciobo’s argument was not to be trusted.

“To be honest I don’t think we can trust what the Trade Minister says or just take his word on it,” she told ABC radio.

“We know that trade deal after trade deal that the Australian government signed us up to is bad for Australian jobs and have really helped the corporations, not the community.”

Challenged over last year’s record creation of 400,000 jobs, Senator Hanson-Young cited Labor, Greens and crossbench concerns regarding a lack of labour market testing, referencing quotes in an article in today’s Australian.

Senator Hanson-Young called for more detail on the deal, saying a Senate inquiry into the deal — due to begin when parliament returns on February 5 — and a Productivity Commission inquiry, which Labor are also calling for, will help.

“Let’s be really honest that around the world what I’ve been hearing all week here in Davos is that there is a massive concern that the community has lost faith with the profit-driven agenda of the big multinational corporations and that governments haven’t done enough to protect them,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“I listened to the President of France here yesterday in Davos, (Emannuel) Macron, and he said very clearly that the myth of trickle-down economics has to stop being peddled by governments and by corporations.

“The people know it just doesn’t work like that. They’re calling bulldust on it, and if we don’t get serious about engaging with the people, the community and workers in Australia, we’re going to be sleepwalking to a situation where rapid change in the workforce is going to leave too many people behind, and then governments are going to be caught like deers (sic) in the headlights, not knowing what to do.”

Senator Hanson-Young also expressed concern that Australia was becoming “isolationist”.

“I really want Australia to be in touch with the rest of the world,” she said.

“We’re not the only people, we’re not the only country going through this massive rapid change, and we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. There’s incredible programs going on right around the world.

“Learn from that, and overall we’ve got to not be isolationist. We need to be connected to the rest of the globe, so I’m here to learn, talk and make connections.”

Asked whether her claim that Australia was isolationist was inconsistent with her opposition to the TPP, Senator Hanson-Young said she was concerned about the “detail” of the TPP.

“Let me put it really bluntly: trade is important, we’re a trading nation, and co-operation with other countries is absolutely essential, so we must make sure to pursue the interests of the community, not just faceless, unaccountable corporations, and unless we build that social compact, the public, the community are just not going to accept it, and I’m worried that’s what’s been signed up to, we don’t have all the details, has been done behind closed doors in secret,” she said.

“Other countries haven’t done it like that. In Europe the European Commission, I’ve been talking about this week, they’ve got a whole raft of transparency measures.

“They get community advocates at the stakeholder meetings. They have a whole way of ensuring that they bring the community along. The Australian government hasn’t done that. They’ve shut-out the people and they’ve shut-out the voters.”

Senator Hanson-Young indicated it was unlikely the Greens could support the TPP, even with concessions on ISDS provisions and labour market testing.

“Well look, if it’s anything like the old TPP, then we couldn’t support it, and we’re worried that this is getting rid of some of the worst bits, but it’s still pretty bad,” she said.

US president Donald Trump has made the stunning admission that he would reconsider joining the trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact if the US could secure a ‘substantially better’ deal, during an interview on the sidelines of the Davos conference.

Senator Hanson-Young said she would attend President Trump’s speech tomorrow, local time, but that people at the conference were “nervous” about what he would say.

“They’re worried that he really doesn’t get that when we’re dealing with issues like climate change, with inequality, with the rapid changing workforce that we need co-operation. The isolationist attitude is not working for the rest of the globe and it’s not going to work for the US,” Senator Hanson-Young said.

“So look, we’ll wait to see what he says. I’ll be there tomorrow. I will go to the speech. Some people are making their own decisions to boycott the speech.

“I am going to go because I want to hear from the man himself what he’s got to say, but let me put it out there, from everything I’ve heard thus far, it’s the exact opposite direction than where we would want the US and where we should be taking Australians.”