SEOUL INTERNATIONAL FORUM

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• SEOUL INTERNATIONAL FORUM
• JUNE 2006

THE APPLICATION OF TRADE REMEDIES IN AUSTRALIAS
FTAs
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• The countries that have established free trade
  agreements with Australia are
• United State of America (AUSFTA)
• Singapore (SAFTA)
• Thailand (TAFTA)
• New Zealand (ANZCERTA)

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• Current FTAs under negotiation are
• Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
• China
• Malaysia
• United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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• Australia has diverted from the WTO Agreements on
  FTAs on safeguard measures
• US Thai agreements include transitional
  safeguards or bilateral safeguards.
• Not global safeguards in terms of GATT Article
  XIX and the WTO Agreement on Safeguards.

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• ANZCERTA and SAFTA do not refer to any safeguard
  action.
• ANZCERTA one of the most comprehensive and
  liberalising agreements.
• Since 1990, neither Australia nor New Zealand may
  take anti-dumping actions in respect of
  trans-Tasman trade in goods.

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• Under WTO rules FTAs must liberalise
  substantially all the trade in goods between
  the participating countries.
• FTAs must also accommodate sensitivities limited
  use of bilateral safeguard measures
• For instance, the Aust-US FTA contains bilateral
  safeguards on Australian exports of beef and some
  horticultural products.

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• US Thai agreements retain rights and
  obligations on provisions regarding global
  safeguard measures.

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• Trade Remedies in Australias FTAs
• trade remedies are WTO rights which should not be
  diminished or traded off in FTA negotiations.
• ensure consistency with our WTO obligations.

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• Customs role in negotiations is by
• participating in whole-of-government discussions
• participating in negotiations and bilateral
  meetings
• providing technical advice on customs-related
  issues
• developing draft text on these issues.

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• Key areas that Customs is responsible for, or has
  an interest in, include
• simplification and harmonisation of customs
  procedures and customs cooperation
• rules of origin and valuation
• anti-dumping measures
• electronic commerce
• enforcement of intellectual property rights

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