Senator BIRMINGHAM (South Australia—Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:11): I thank Senator Fawcett for his question. He's highlighting the connection between Australia's trading relationships and jobs for Australians. Of the nearly 1.5 million jobs created under our government, some 240,000 are trade related. One in five Australian jobs are dependent upon our trading activity. That's why I was very pleased to welcome the progress last week around the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which, when finalised, will represent the largest trading pact in the world. The 15 RCEP nations that have agreed to proceed to quickly finalise this trade deal account for almost 30 per cent of global GDP, around 30 per cent of the world's population, 58 per cent of our two-way trade and 66 per cent of Australia's exports. This is a huge opportunity to better link Australia into value chains that bring together the 10 ASEAN nations, the major North Asian economies of China, Japan and Korea, and, of course, our neighbours in New Zealand. It will encompass some nine of Australia's top 15 trading partners. Importantly, in terms of the progress we expect RCEP to make, it will enhance arrangements in terms of addressing non-tariff barriers such as customs procedures, quarantine, technical standards and common rules of origin, which will enable Australian farmers, businesses and producers to better engage in the value chains across our Asian region. Common rules on ecommerce and on intellectual property will promote trade and investment across the region. While market access negotiations are still being finalised, it will lock in clear benefits for Australian exporters to better trade across the region. As is well known, we've also been working with India to be part of RCEP; they have been participating in negotiations since 2013. We will continue to do so. The agreement would be better with India, and that door remains wide open to them. (Time expired) The PRESIDENT: Senator Fawcett, a supplementary question.