Albanese attacks Coalition as negotiations over EU trade pact intensify
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused the Coalition of protectionism over its resistance to a proposed EU free-trade deal, while Nationals leader Matt Canavan disputed the government’s $10 billion benefit claim and Liberal MP Alex Hawke warned the opposition should not surrender its policy to the Nationals.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the Coalition is adopting "nativist and protectionist" policies in its opposition to a proposed free-trade agreement with the European Union. Albanese highlighted dissent within the Liberal Party, noting that backbencher Alex Hawke had warned colleagues that supporting Nationals leader Matt Canavan’s hardline stance would be unwise.
"Trade is a good thing. I thought this was resolved in the 1980s under the Hawke and Keating governments and that, since then, there was support across this parliament and across the mainstream political parties," Albanese told reporters in Canberra. "This is just an excuse for going down the road of protectionist and nativist politics. Nativist politics is not in Australia’s national interest. We are a trading nation."
Albanese used the issue to press the government’s agenda ahead of an upcoming APEC summit that will include U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, stating that Australia wants "free and fair trade unequivocally."
National Party leader Matt Canavan responded by disputing the government’s claim of a $10 billion benefit from the deal, saying the figure was based on pre-Brexit data from 2020 and included projected export increases that he described as unrealistic. "The fake figures also include the benefits of increased exports to the UK, from when the UK was previously part of the EU, but now that is no longer the case," Canavan said.
Liberal MP Alex Hawke, speaking at a party-only meeting, argued that the Nationals should not dictate the Liberal position and warned that the opposition’s stance could damage voters’ perception of economic policy. He added that opposing a deal with the world’s second-largest trading bloc would be contrary to free-market principles.
The debate continues as most Liberal members express concerns that the EU agreement could lock future governments into the Paris climate accord, limit dairy and red-meat exporters, and introduce pro-union labour rules.