The Morrison Government must address the concerns of Australia’s exporters following news that cotton growers are now facing obstacles in entering the Chinese market.
 
Labor is concerned that barley growers, wine makers, meat processors, coal companies and now cotton growers have all experienced unexpected difficulties accessing the Chinese market this year, putting at risk billions of dollars in trade and thousands of Australian jobs.
 
News that Beijing’s National Development Reform Commission had instructed spinning mills to not accept Australian cotton has placed potentially 65 per cent of Australia’s cotton exports in jeopardy, and Australia’s export industry needed some answers, said Shadow Minister for Agriculture and Resources, Joel Fitzgibbon.
 
“Australia’s exporters work hard to service their markets, and they need their federal Government to give them support at the diplomatic and trade level. Senior Ministers in the Morrison Government need to reach out to their Chinese counterparts to resolve this - it’s their job.”
 
Shadow Minister for Trade, Madeleine King, said it was baffling that the Government was preparing to downgrade the importance of the Trade portfolio just as Australian exporters were experiencing mounting problems with China.
 
“The Government could start addressing these issues by appointing a Minister dedicated to resolving Australia’s trade crises, rather than one who has several other portfolios and is also about to become the Leader of the Government in the Senate,” Ms King said.