Fed: Free trade stoush a test for Beazley: Vaile

AAP General News (Australia)
08-01-2000
Fed: Free trade stoush a test for Beazley: Vaile

CANBERRA, Aug 1 AAP - A stoush on free trade at the ALP national conference would be
a definitive test for Opposition Leader Kim Beazley's leadership, Trade Minister Mark
Vaile said today.

Tasmanian manufacturing workers will lead a protest against Labor's support for free
trade, although senior ALP figures expect Mr Beazley will win the argument at the end
of the day.

But Mr Vaile said the ACTU harboured plans to seize control of the ALP and he warned
the union push against free trade would damage Australia's export prospects.

"The eyes of Australian exporters are on the debate in Hobart," he told journalists
before entering a cabinet meeting.

"This is going to be a great test of Kim Beazley's leadership to see if he can in fact
hold the line as far as the direction we've seen Australia go in terms of engaging with
the rest of the world.

"The ACTU wants to take control of the ALP, they want to take the ALP backwards, they
want to take Australia backwards."

Mr Vaile said the ACTU was seeking to camouflage an argument on labour standards with
fair trade rhetoric and the push for a level playing field.

"They're talking about fair trade, but what they're talking about is Labor standards
as a negotiating position in terms of the World Trade Organisation," he said.

"I can say that we will never have any opportunity of improving our market access for
our exporters in terms of further negotiations in the WTO if we have a position where
we're going to negotiate labour standards with free trade."

Mr Vaile also welcomed the overnight release in Geneva of the World Trade Organisation's
beef dispute panel confirming a win for Australia against Korean restriction's on imported
beef.

"It's going to further strengthen what's already become a strong rural industry in
Australia at the moment," he said.

He said the decision, which affects Australia's $150 million market for beef in Korea,
underlined the importance of overseas trade access for Australia - access the ACTU's agenda
would irreversibly damage.

"We have a long way to go in terms of getting fairer market access across the world," he said.

"But the only way to do that is to stay engaged in the multilateral system and to move
the multilateral system along, to move the WTO along and the strengthen the rules in the
WTO.

"We won't do that unless we get a start. We won't get a start if we start talking about
Labor standards with the developing economies of the world.

AAP rft/mfh/bdm/br

KEYWORD: ALP TRADE VAILE LEAD

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