For our latest 5-minute Lowy lunch, I interviewed one of Australia's newest and youngest MPs, the Liberal Member for Mayo, Jamie Briggs. Jamie won the by-election for Mayo in 2008 after the retirement of former Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
Yesterday, Jamie delivered an impassioned plea for Australia to resist the temptation to slide back into the bad old days of protectionism. With a dazzling array of statistics, he illustrated why free trade is good for all Australians, whether they be agricultural exporters to China or urban Australians benefiting from lower-cost consumer goods. Even if the Eurozone countries increase tariffs or introduce new barriers, Jamie argued that Australia will still be better off if it stands firm and maintains Australia's open trading stance.
You can listen to Jamie's brief (6-minute) version of his speech here.
Photo by Flickr user mugley.
