Albanese presses lawmakers to pass the EU trade deal, saying it would free 98% of exports from tariffs

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used a press conference at Parliament House on Thursday, October 29, to press lawmakers to back legislation needed to put Australia’s trade agreement with the European Union into effect, arguing that the deal would widen market access for exporters at a time of rising global pressure on free trade.

Albanese said the agreement would make 98% of Australian exports of goods and services tariff-free in the EU, which he described as a market of 450 million people, and would add A$10 billion to the Australian economy. He said the gains would extend across critical minerals, services, manufacturing, fruit and vegetables, and wine, and would also increase access for beef and sheep meat exports.

“This is a good deal for Australia,” Albanese said, adding that failure to pass it would leave Australia at a disadvantage against countries that already have trade arrangements with the bloc, including New Zealand. He said that if Australia “shut ourselves out of this,” competing exporters would gain a comparative advantage in Europe.

The European agreement has become a political issue in Canberra as the government seeks parliamentary support for a wider economic agenda. Albanese said the deal was “front and centre” for the government even though the enabling measures were not being voted on during the final days of this week’s parliamentary sitting. He urged lawmakers to treat the agreement as a national economic priority.

According to Albanese, Coalition critics have argued that the agreement is a poor deal and objected to its climate language. He rejected both points, saying the government had previously walked away from an earlier version, returned to negotiations, and secured better terms. He also said references to the Paris climate agreement were not unusual, noting that climate provisions also appear in trade agreements with the United Kingdom, the United States, and China.

Albanese said the agreement would expand current access for red meat exporters, stating that sheep meat and beef quotas would rise to four and eight times current export levels, respectively, with a review after five years and the possibility of further increases. He also pointed to the government’s handling of geographical naming issues, citing feta as an example of a concern that had been addressed.

The issue matters beyond agriculture and heavy industry. If the agreement is implemented, it could improve Australian wine producers’ access to Europe while also opening the Australian market further to European products. That has the potential to alter competition and pricing across parts of the beverage sector, especially for wine, even as the exact commercial effects would depend on how producers and importers respond.

Albanese said cheaper imports under the agreement would help put downward pressure on prices for Australian consumers. He framed that argument within a broader defense of trade liberalization, saying Australia should present itself in global forums as a country that supports “free and fair trade unequivocally.”

His push on the EU deal came alongside other major items on the government’s parliamentary agenda. Albanese said the House of Representatives had passed the government’s Digital Duty of Care legislation on Wednesday, October 28, and called on the Senate to approve it. He said the bill would make large technology companies more accountable for content carried on their platforms and give users greater control over the material they receive through algorithms.

He also said tax legislation would be taken up on Thursday, October 29, describing it as part of a broader effort to align taxation of labor income and asset income more closely. Albanese acknowledged that tax reform is difficult and said the government had already adjusted measures through consultation, but he maintained that the overall approach was necessary to avoid placing more of the tax burden on wage earners.

Another major vote on Thursday, October 29, concerned the government’s domestic gas reservation package. Standing with Resources Minister Madeleine King, Industry Minister Tim Ayres, and Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen, Albanese said the bill would allow the government to reserve up to 20% of gas exports for domestic use. He said that would increase supply for Australian manufacturers and help reduce domestic prices.

King called the package a “landmark” reform and said it would create a long-term framework for households, businesses, manufacturers, and the gas industry. Ayres said the measure went directly to Australia’s industrial competitiveness and would help secure heavy industrial jobs in outer suburbs and regional areas. Bowen said Australia was unusual among major gas-producing countries in not having an effective reservation policy and said the legislation would change that.

The government’s trade and energy messages were closely tied to cost-of-living concerns that dominated several questions at the press conference. Albanese said households were still facing pressure from inflation and the risk of further interest-rate increases, and he argued that the government’s strategy combined budget restraint with targeted measures such as free technical education, cheaper medicines, and health spending.

He said global factors remained central to the inflation outlook, pointing to higher oil prices and conflict in the Middle East. Those pressures, he said, were feeding through not only into fuel costs but also into the price of goods transported across the economy.

Albanese also used the appearance to place the trade push in a broader international context. He said he would attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in November and would use overseas meetings to advance Australia’s economic and diplomatic priorities, including trade and its campaign for a United Nations Security Council seat.

When asked about criticism from within the opposition’s ranks, Albanese said it was surprising that support for freer trade was being questioned in a party that has long presented itself as market-oriented. He warned that resistance to the EU agreement would move Australian politics toward protectionism at a moment when trade barriers are becoming a larger issue internationally.

Albanese said the debate was especially important because the global trade environment has become more uncertain. He argued that Australia’s growth and productivity depend on international engagement and said the EU agreement should be seen in the same context as the government’s earlier trade efforts with the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia.