Chile free trade agreement will not cost Aust jobs, Truss says
Australia Broadcasting Service
Chile free trade agreement will not cost Aust jobs, Truss says
Tuesday, 31/07/2007
Federal Trade Minister Warren Truss says fears a free trade agreement with Chile could devastate Australian horticulture are unfounded.
The peak stonerfruit body, Summerfruit Australia, says cheap fruit and vegetable imports could wipe out 5,000 jobs.
But Mr Truss says Australian farmers will lose out because already there are few Australian tariffs.
"There’s a small duty on grapes but most other products are currently able to come in duty free but they don’t come.
"There are geographic and other barriers which make it difficult for Chileans to export horticultural products to Australia but there’s little or no capacity to reduce tariffs on Chilean horticultural products into Australia because generally they don’t exist."
