David Hawker (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I join with the member for Fremantle in speaking on this report on behalf of the opposition members of the committee. The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade regularly reviews Australia’s relationships with other countries and in recent years the committee has focused on Australia’s relationship with its northern neighbours. This has included major reports on relations with Indonesia and with Malaysia. This report extends this focus by reviewing Australia’s relationship with ASEAN, an organisation comprising 10 countries to Australia’s north. To illustrate the importance of ASEAN as a major trading partner, Australia has free trade agreements with two countries in ASEAN—Singapore and Thailand—and treaties with Indonesia and Malaysia are being contemplated.

During the course of the inquiry, Australia and New Zealand concluded an FTA with ASEAN. The agreement was the first multicountry FTA Australia had negotiated and was the most comprehensive treaty ASEAN had entered into. This FTA is regarded as a platform for further trade liberalisation both between Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN and as a way of assisting ASEAN’s plans to establish an ASEAN economic community by 2015.

The committee considers that FTAs—bilateral and multilateral—will become an increasing part of the trade environment in which Australia operates. This will be ensured by the continued growth of Asia and the trend towards trade and other forms of integration between countries. Because of this, it is important that FTA negotiators ‘get it right’ when striking agreements with Australia’s trading partners. The committee has made several recommendations concerning FTAs which pertain to existing agreements when they are reviewed and FTAs being contemplated.

Australia has had equivocal outcomes with respect to the FTAs with Singapore and Thailand. In particular, the gains made by the Australian automotive industry in the Australia-Thailand FTA, known as TAFTA, have been countered by the emergence of non-tariff barriers. The outcomes arising from TAFTA underscores the importance of quantifying the benefits or costs of such agreements once they are concluded and, to this end, the committee has recommended that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade report annually to the parliament on the impact of individual trade agreements.

Trade in services provides significant opportunities for Australia, and the telecommunications sector has been identified as a high priority for expansion of Australia’s export trade. Further development in telecommunications, and knowledge-economy activities in general, would allow Australia to build on and go beyond the reliance on education and tourism, enhancing efforts to achieve a more favourable balance of trade.

Integral to facilitating trade in services is the mutual recognition of qualifications. The committee received evidence that this is an area which should be addressed and has recommended that when future bilateral free trade agreements are negotiated, or when existing agreements are reviewed, the government should take steps to assist in the creation of professional linkages, including mutual recognition agreements.

Security to Australia’s north has always been a concern and the committee has reviewed various aspects of security in the region. The interaction of Australian agencies with counterparts in the ASEAN region is widespread, but it is important that Australian agencies remember to use the various forums provided by ASEAN, and the focal point of Australia’s diplomatic missions, to maintain agency-to-agency links and communications.

The committee also notes the work being undertaken in the areas of biosecurity and health by Australia in collaboration with ASEAN member countries. The enhancement of biosecurity in ASEAN can expand outwards Australia’s quarantine border and provide early warning and improved response to emerging threats. As well, work in the health area not only improves the wellbeing of ASEAN member countries and thereby its security but also protects Australians travelling overseas.

The committee considers that it is in Australia’s interests to assist ASEAN member countries in securing their nascent nuclear infrastructure and their radioactive sources. ANSTO, through its ongoing engagement with the region, is well placed to provide that assistance and in the long term may be able to assist, should ASEAN members introduce nuclear power. The committee believes that there is merit in ANSTO attempting to seek a commercial return from its experience and goodwill in the region by engaging suppliers of nuclear and radioactive materials to the ASEAN region with a view to ANSTO providing safety and security advice to ASEAN member countries.

Turning to human rights, the committee received criticism of the Australian Federal Police’s involvement with the Burmese police force. The committee sought justification from the AFP as well as the guidelines governing that relationship. The AFP was able to provide evidence of the outcomes of the relationship. These have included the arrest of drug traffickers and the destruction of heroin production laboratories in Burma. Nevertheless, as the AFP has acknowledged, there are connections between the ruling junta, the military and the Burmese police force. Australia must be careful that assistance to Burma is not abused. Concerning the continuing detention of the Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, I would like to add my support to the comments made by the honourable member for Fremantle and the call for her immediate and unconditional release.

In conclusion, the committee has found Australia’s relationship with ASEAN to be deep and comprehensive. The relationship will continue to mature and change. Doubtless there will be challenges, but I share the committee’s confidence that the goodwill exists to overcome them. I too would like to thank all members of the committee for their involvement. Also, I particularly thank the committee secretariat for their support. I commend the report to the House.

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