EDGE Magazine | Q3 2011
Introduction
The release of the Federal Government's Trade Policy Statement ("Statement") in April has revealed some details of the state of the Australian trade agenda.
The Statement entitled "Gillard Government Trade Policy Statement: Trading our way to more jobs and prosperity" contains details of the gains and benefits from Australia's previous trade liberalisation, the principles to guide Australia's trade policy, the "disciplines" to achieve Australia's trade policy as well as details on the Government's trade negotiating agenda.
The policy has been expressed to be consistent to the Government's response to the recommendations of the Productivity Commission Report on Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements.
Some details are set out below.
Five Principles
The Statement sets out five principles which are intended to guide Australia's trade policy. These are summarised as follows:
• Unilateralism. • Non-discrimination. • Separation. • Transparency. • Indivisibility of trade policy and economic reform.
Disciplines in Australia's trade policy
According to the Statement, the principles guiding Australia's trade policy logically give rise to a set of disciplines and policies governing the negotiations of trade agreements and their content. The disciplines and policies are summarised as follows:
• Multilateral agreements offer the largest benefits. • Regional bilateral agreements must not weaken the multilateral system - they must be genuinely liberalising,
31
eliminating or substantially reducing barriers to trade. • Australia will not seek to entrench preferential access - simply to compete on equal terms to others. • Australia will not allow foreign policy to dictate parties to and content of, trade deals. • The public is to be well informed about negotiations for, and the content of, proposed trade agreements and have the opportunity for input. • Australia will press ahead with domestic economic reform irrespective of whether other countries agree to reform their economies. • Trade policy MAY be used to help achieve labour, environmental, health and community safety objectives (non- trade objectives). However it is not to be used as a "backdoor" means to impose trade barriers to protect local industries. • Australia will not pursue "Investor State" Dispute Resolution provisions in trade agreements.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38