Well, it’s wonderful to be here in Peru and I thank the Minister for the welcome that myself and Minister Julie Collins have had here this afternoon. APEC represents, with its 21 economies, some 75 per cent of Australia’s trade. I brought the Agriculture Minister because that relationship is particularly important between Australia and APEC’s 21 economies. Over coming days, and then at the G20, we’ll be discussing how trade is important for Australian jobs and for the Australian economy. This is about lifting Australia’s living standards by ensuring that we can continue to export to our region and to the world. There’ll be discussions about the World Trade Organisation as well and reform, making sure that free and fair trade benefits the people of our region and indeed the people of the globe.
JOURNALIST: Do you want a unified agreement at this APEC Summit against the imposition of tariffs by a new US administration?
PRIME MINISTER: Australia will always support free and fair trade. We’re a trading nation. One in four of Australia’s jobs is trade dependent, and that will be a focus with the meetings that we will have over coming days.
JOURNALIST: Given the events in the United States and these are the first gatherings of world leaders since, do you see an extra imperative to make statements not on just trade, but things like climate change? Would you like to see the world hold the line on progress that’s been made in the last few years?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it is in the world’s interest, in terms of protection of our environment, to continue to take action on climate change. This meeting occurs at the same time the Conference of the Parties is occurring in Azerbaijan. And of course, overwhelmingly, the major economies of the globe have committed to Net Zero. This is important for our environment, but it also represents economic opportunity with the transition that’s there. And Australia is particularly well positioned because of what we have under the earth, with rare earths and all the critical minerals that will be vital for the transition, but also important because of the resources we have in the sky. We have the best solar resources in the world. Thanks very much.
