We are now one step closer to an ambitious, wide-ranging
free trade agreement with one of our oldest friends. An FTA
with Australia can bring investment, better jobs, higher
wages and lower prices just when we need them the most.
Both teams of negotiators recognised the unprecedented
circumstances we find ourselves in and reiterated that more
global trade is essential to support post-Covid economic
recovery.
Negotiations were conducted virtually and covered
discussions on all areas of a comprehensive trade
agreement. The discussions covered the following areas:
- Anti-Corruption and Transparency
- Competition
- Cross-cutting general provisions
- Customs
- Digital/e-commerce
- Environment
- Financial Services
- Trade in Goods and Trade Remedies
- Good Regulatory Practice
- Intellectual Property
- Investment
- Labour
- Procurement
- Rules of Origin
- Services, including Movement of Natural Persons and
Professional Business Services
- Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
- State Owned Enterprises
- Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures
- State to State Dispute Settlement
- Technical Barriers to Trade
- Telecommunications
We also had positive exploratory discussions on Clean
Growth, Development, Women’s Economic Empowerment, and
Innovation.
Discussions between negotiators were productive and
reflected our shared ambition to secure a comprehensive
deal to boost trade and investment between our like-minded
economies.
Teams discussed their respective objectives and agreed a
forward plan for future talks. Our positive discussions in
round one have laid the groundwork for the UK and Australia
to achieve high-quality outcomes across the agreement.
The UK and Australia are aligned in many areas which will
enable us to make quick progress across many chapters. In
discussions, both countries emphasised a desire to be
particularly ambitious in areas including services, digital
trade and in supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
to benefit from the opportunities that increased trade
provide.
The Government is committed to negotiating a comprehensive
agreement with Australia and we look forward to making
further progress. We will explore the option of
face-to-face negotiations when it is safe to do so. The
Government will make its next statement on progress
following the second round of talks, currently planned for
September.
