PM reveals international trade priorities

Scott Morrison will prioritise finalising the EU trade deal and aim for more countries to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership if he wins the election.

Scott Morrison Michael McCormack

Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed his international trade priorities. (AAP)

Scott Morrison has nominated finalising a trade deal with the European Union and extending the Trans-Pacific Partnership as priorities under a re-elected coalition government.

The prime minister will also look to advance the Pacific trade pact Pacer Plus if he can reclaim the keys to The Lodge after the May 18 poll.

In an interview with AAP on the campaign trail, Mr Morrison said his government would pursue free trade agreements across the globe.

"Stand still for long enough and a Liberal trade minister will try and do a deal with you," Mr Morrison said on Wednesday.

He said finalising the trade agreement with the European Union would be a priority if he leads the coalition to victory.

"The European deal which we've been working on now for some period of time, that is not complicated by Brexit," the prime minister told AAP.

"Obviously in the UK, it's still very uncertain what's happening there.

"We'd be moving very quickly in the event a Brexit occurred, but the European deal is incredibly important."

He also wants to more countries to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

"We're keen to see that opened up to more participants but that's something we have to do with the existing partners in the TPP."

While noting Brexit's importance at a global level, Mr Morrison said ongoing tensions between the United States and China were a bigger threat to Australia.

"The Australian economy is more impacted by what's happening in our part of the world and that particularly deals with the China-US trade tensions," he said.

In full campaign mode, Mr Morrison pivoted to a central theme of his campaign - Labor's planned changes to Australia's tax system.

He warned against adopting the opposition's policy platform in the face of global economic headwinds.

"It's just never made any sense to me," he said.

"The Labor Party talks about stiff headwinds, if they think there are stiff headwinds why do they want to weigh Australians down?"


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Source: AAP



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