Sky News, First Edition
KIERAN GILBERT: With me now the Trade Minister, Steve Ciobo to discuss this and the other issues of the day. They might delay the vote, but at the end of the week, the Government will have those Senate reforms through and it seems almost inevitable now heading into a double dissolution election.
STEVEN CIOBO: We hope to have the Senate reforms through because the fact is that that's going to mean that the Senate more appropriately reflects the will of the Australian people. Australians will be able to control the way in which they direct their preferences in the Senate, which marks a departure from the way in which it's been done in the past. We've seen Senate reform a number of times over the years. This is now another step, we think, as I said, produces a better outcome, because it actually reflects the will of the Australian people.
KIERAN GILBERT: Now, the other focus this week, or yesterday, was the small business effects test. It's being criticised by the Business Council of Australia. It's an unlikely alliance between Labor and the BCA, but it's unusual as well for them to be on the Labor side of things, as opposed to the Coalition on these matters.
STEVEN CIOBO: Well, it's not that unusual, frankly, to see the Labor party and big business in cahoots. I mean, we've seen examples where even Bill Shorten was doing deals, all be it dodgy deals, with big businesses, so I think there is a bit of a unity ticket between big unions and big Labor, and big business sometimes. We're going ahead with the reforms that we've made to section 46 because those appropriately reflect the feedback that we got. We know it's going to be good for the small business sector in Australia.
KIERAN GILBERT: Are you worried about the risk though, the legal risk involved?
STEVEN CIOBO: I think it is so massively overstated it's not funny. The fact is that the Harper Review, and this is no fly by the seat of your pants review, this was a comprehensive review that looked at all aspects of this Competition Policy. What we know from section 46, which deals with misuse of market power, is that it wasn't working effectively. What we've adopted is the recommendations in full that were put to the Government in relation to section 46.
KIERAN GILBERT: You've had your meetings yesterday with the Indonesian Trade Minister, your counterpart from Jakarta, he and you agreeing to restarting trade negotiations. How soon do you want those done? Because this is an economic relationship between Indonesia and Australia, which is completely under-cooked right now.
STEVEN CIOBO: Absolutely. The fact is that our trade and investment relationship with Indonesia is very underdone, as you said, Kieran. I mean, it's our 12th largest trading partner, despite having a population of 250 million and it being one of our closest neighbours. Both the Indonesian Trade Minister and I met yesterday, and we declared that we would formally recommence negotiations around a comprehensive economic partnership between our two nations. This is going to drive jobs and growth for Australia. This is the great thing-
KIERAN GILBERT: When do you want it done by?
STEVEN CIOBO: We've said we'd like it concluded in the next 12 to 18 months. Both of us are very committed to that. We're committed to some early outcomes, that is to specify some areas where we think we'll be able to do some important advanced early work. I'm really excited about the potential, in terms of not only signalling the strength and relationship between Indonesia and Australia now, but also what it means for trade and investment opportunities.
KIERAN GILBERT: This is another part of a positive agenda that the Government's got, at least in part, the Government's been criticised for not rolling out policies, but throughout this period, you've had distractions from the backbench again now, on this Safe Schools issue. Are they uncontrollable elements of the backbench?
STEVEN CIOBO: Not at all. I mean, this is a parliament. We're meant to ventilate ideas. That's what makes democracies great. To go to exactly your point, this suggestion that the Labor party makes, the Coalition, they're drifting. What rubbish. We've recommenced negotiations for, effectively, a broad-based free trade agreement with Indonesia. We've put a $1.6 billion Defence White Paper out, we've got a $1.1 billion National Innovation Strategy, we've released a whole new reform around section 46 of Competition Law, which actually goes to the very essence to the way in which our economy operates. This is just the last several weeks. Anyone who says that we do not have a strong, proactive agenda about what's happening with our country is frankly just not telling the truth.
KIERAN GILBERT: Trade Minister, thanks for your time.
STEVEN CIOBO: Pleasure.
ENDS.