Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties I present the committee’s report entitled Report 77: Treaties tabled on 20 June and 8 August 2006.

Ordered that the report be made a parliamentary paper.

Report 77 contains the findings and binding treaty action recommendations of the committee’s review of six treaty actions tabled in parliament on 20 June and 8 August 2006. The committee found all six treaties reviewed to be in Australia’s national interest. The committee is continuing its review of the amendments to article 3 of the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement and a promotion and reciprocal protection of investments treaty with Mexico tabled on 28 March and 20 June respectively. The committee is also inquiring further into the China uranium transfer and safeguards agreements tabled on 8 August. I will comment on all the treaties reviewed in Report 77.

The agreement relating to scientific and technical cooperation between the government of Australia and the government of the United States of America will build upon and strengthen the science and technology relationship between Australia and the US established under its predecessor agreement. The agreement, by establishing guiding principles, will provide for shared responsibility in collaborative activities and the equitable sharing of costs and benefits. The agreement will also expand opportunities for collaboration between agencies and serve to enhance research links between Australia and the United States.

The amendments to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material amend the convention of the same name and will serve to strengthen the objectives of the convention, which ensures that nuclear material is adequately protected when transported internationally, in addition to extending this protection to nuclear facilities and material in peaceful domestic use, storage and transport. The amendments also provide for cooperation between and among states to assist in the detection and recovery of any stolen or smuggled nuclear material, mitigate any radiological consequences of sabotage, and prevent and combat related offences.

The exchange of notes constituting an agreement between the government of Australia and the government of Japan to replace the delineated and recorded Japanese nuclear fuel cycle program adds the UK’s Sellafield plant and Japan’s Rokkasho fuel fabrication plant to the facilities at which Japan may undertake mixed oxide fuel fabrication. The delineated and recorded Japanese nuclear fuel cycle program is a treaty-level implementing arrangement between the government of Australia and the government of Japan and was entered into as part of the Australia-Japan Nuclear Safeguards Agreement 1982 and sets out how the Australia-Japan Nuclear Safeguards Agreement is to operate in practice. Australia ensures that Japan meets its obligations under the Australia-Japan Nuclear Safeguards Agreement through an established system of safeguards, including a permanent office of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors located in Japan, and through the reconciliation of accounts.

The amendments to the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement to ensure compliance with changes to the harmonised commodity description and coding system will, through changes to how goods are identified, seek to avoid possible confusion and subsequent delays in processing of goods by customs authorities.

Finally, the International Health Regulations 2005 updates the 1969 IHRs to include new threats such as SARS, avian flu and ebola, all diseases which require a coordinated international public health response. I thank the committee secretariat for the work they have done on this report and for facilitating the public hearings. I commend the report to the House.

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