Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor says delaying the China Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) would force millions of dollars a month in additional tariffs onto exporters. Labor’s scaremongering on free trade was economic vandalism at its worst, he said.

“Shorten and the CFMEU want to cripple our exports and take us back to talking banana republics. Australians won’t follow them down such a dangerously naïve path.”

“Make no mistake, the unions want to reimpose a $300 million tax on Australian exports. If this FTA is delayed, it will be the farmers who pay the price.”

Mr Taylor said it took 10 years for the free trade deal to be finalised.

“This is a deal to eliminate taxes on Australian exports to China. Both Labor and Coalition governments worked on it. Australian farmers have worked with governments of both persuasions in good faith because they know that China’s tariffs are a tax on their exports.

“Now it’s time to reap the benefits. It is time for the FTA to enter into force and for the tariffs to be removed. New Zealand did their deal with China years ago. I was there, I saw it all unfold. This gave the Kiwis the jump on us in dairy. It is catch up time for hard working Aussie farmers,” Mr Taylor said.

“For the mining boom to happen we didn’t need FTAs because minerals markets are largely open, but for the ‘dining boom’ we need free trade. Australia can’t get into these massive new agricultural markets in Asia without trade deals, because they’re all shut up. 

“The unions don’t get this. Labor doesn’t understand trade, how to support it and how to support Australian prosperity. The CFMEU is cutting us off from the best opportunity Australian farming has seen in its history.”

Mr Taylor said if ChAFTA stalled, there’d be plenty of countries around the world ready to supply beef, sheep meat, butter, cheese and wine to China. “Everyone is beating a path to China’s door.”

“If this reckless union scare campaign causes a delay and we don’t get the two planned tariff cuts in quick succession it will cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars. It just beggars belief.”