Bilateral Trade Agreements
The seven year impasse at the World Trade Organisation has seen many countries respond by exploring bilateral and regional trade agreements. Currently Australia has signed five bilateral trade agreements, concluded negotiations with another, negotiating seven, and undertaking feasibility studies into three others.
The proliferation of bilateral agreements is characterised by imbalances in trading power, lack of adequate impacts assessment, and often more regulatory restrictions for governments than under the WTO.
AFTINET welcomed the election policy platform adopted by the Australian Labour Party at the last election that would see prior to commencement of negotiations independent assessment of the cultural, regional, environmental, social, and regulatory impact that any agreement would have. This platform also outlined how such assessments as well as our aims and intentions for an FTA would be tabled to parliament prior to negotiations.
Although the election platform included tabling both the agreement text and legislation to Parliament, AFTINET believes that in order to have proper scrutiny and accountability parliament should vote on the whole text and not just the implementing legislation.
Australia's currently signed agreements are:
United States of America/Australia
Australia/New Zealand Closer Economic Relations
FTA's that Australia's negotiating:
Gulf Cooperation Council/Australia
Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations
FTA Feasibility Studies are being conducted on the following:
