So much of what is wrong with One Nation is typed out in this motion: anti-multiculturalism, anti-climate action, anti-electric vehicles, anti-gender and racial equality an economically inept excuse for a political party.
The free trade agreement with the European Union, secured by my good friend and one of the best trade ministers we have ever had, Senator Don Farrell, has been decades in the making decades of work from Australian governments, formed from all political persuasions, all in agreement about the opportunity such an agreement would bring, about the potential of such an agreement, an agreement opening the doors for Australian exporters to sell world-class Australian goods to the European market, consisting of 450 million consumers.
The Albanese Labor government has secured this once in a generation landmark deal. It is our government that is opening a market that has been effectively closed for decades for many agricultural products. This free trade agreement will deliver significant economic benefits to Australian consumers and exporters. It's a good deal, and the minister, our prime minister and the entire negotiating team deserve credit for that. And thank goodness it was Senator Farrell leading these negotiations and not One Nation, because this motion shows you exactly what and who you would sell out first.
This agreement will help diversify our trade relationships, eliminate EU tariffs on Australian goods, lower the cost of input sourced from the EU, facilitate greater EU investment in Australia, create new opportunities for our services sector to do business in the EU and provide a wider choice of more affordable European goods for Australian consumers. It means that an Australian business owner or farmer exporting a range of products, from sugar to nuts, fruits, vegetables, seafood and wine, will see tariffs reduced or eliminated entirely. For Australians, this means savings at the check-out on European products.
This deal also supports Australia's transition to a renewable energy superpower, boosting trade and cooperation on critical minerals. It has secured practical trade and investment outcomes for First Nations Australians. I actually think, Senator Whitten, that these are good outcomes. This agreement includes ambitious commitments on gender equality and women's economic empowerment. Good outcomes, in my view, Senator Whitten. It does more to protect labour rights and environmental standards than any previous Australian trade agreement before it. Again, Senator Whitten, I think that's a good thing.
One Nation says this agreement fails to get a good deal for farmers. I am curious how providing Australian farmers and agricultural producers with opportunities to access this gigantic new market, how eliminating most EU tariffs on our agriculture products, how making farmers more competitive about levelling the playing field and how helping to diversify our exports is a bad deal for farmers. More trade, with more trading partners, means more higher paying jobs, more opportunities for business, more investment to build things in Australia and cheaper bills for Australian households. Again, the wording of this motion tells you plenty about what One Nation stands for and what One Nation stands against. They talk a big game out there on standing up for Australian battlers, yet, when they walk into this chamber, they vote against housing affordability, they vote against reducing student debt, they vote against free TAFE, they vote against increasing funding for public schools, they vote against paid parental leave equality and they vote against support for child care.
One Nation spent the entirety of the last parliament teaming up, cosying up, with the coalition to oppose cost-of-living relief for Australian families. They've consistently voted against policies that take the pressure off ordinary Australians, because they're more interested in the divisive politics, like you see in this motion, than standing up for Australian families, and the desperate and divided Liberals are propping them up. If they keep going like this, One Nation will be the death of the modern Liberal Party. I actually think that's a bad outcome for our democracy.
But, while the Liberals and One Nation continue to cosy up, like a mouse to an anaconda, we remain focused on building more opportunities for South Australians. In my state, this agreement will have a transformative effect, especially on our wine sector but also across South Australian products. It's the most comprehensive and progressive trade agreement ever achieved. I'm for it. I think it's a good thing. It's a good deal, with the prosperity and opportunities for Australians at its heart.
