Hanson-Young sinks teeth into trade patch

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has shaken off the disappointment of losing party responsibility for immigration to sink her teeth into what she claims is a lack of transparency over free-trade deals.

After taking briefings from economists and trade experts, the senator is shocked by the nation's ballooning trade deficit and says Australia is sleep walking into a multi-billion trade blackhole.

Senator Hanson-Young compared the secrecy around negotiations to offshore immigration detention camps and said more scrutiny was needed, starting with the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.