News Stories – 9 June 2006
Australia promotes UN Fish Stocks Agreement
The Australian Government promotes the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement (UNFSA) as the key instrument to conserve and manage fisheries
An Australian delegation attended the United Nations Fish Stock Agreement (UNFSA) Review Conference in New York from 22 to 26 May 2006.
The Conference undertook a thorough analysis of UNFSA provisions and proposed means for strengthening implementation.
Australia, a strong UNFSA supporter, promoted the Agreement as the key instrument to conserve and manage fisheries, including through the development of regional fisheries management organisations.
The Australian delegation made strong interventions on monitoring, surveillance and compliance – calling on states to improve flag and port state controls to ensure more effective regulation of fishing activities on the high seas, as well as sea support vessel activities.
Australia’s report to the Review Conference confirmed our position as a responsible high seas fishing nation, which comprehensively implements UNFSA provisions.
The delegation called on non-Parties to join UNFSA to ensure that high seas fisheries are conserved and sustainably managed
Fourteen non-Parties indicated an intention to join the Agreement including, Indonesia, Japan, Morocco, Mozambique, Palau, Republic of Korea and Sierra Leone.
APEC Pandemic Response Exercise successful
A major coordination exercise conducted by Emergency Management Australia (EMA) successfully tested communications among regional economies in the event of a human influenza pandemic.
The Emergency Management Coordination Centre at Emergency Management Australia (EMA) in Canberra ran a major coordination exercise from 7-8 June.
The APEC Pandemic Response Exercise 2006 involved health, emergency and foreign affairs officials of the 21 APEC member economies working together in a simulated emergency based on a hypothetical scenario about the spread of a deadly strain of influenza.
A major communications exercise, it involved over 100 participants over eight time zones. Around 500 messages were dispatched between participating economies, with responses logged by the Exercise Coordination Centre at EMA.
DFAT and EMA will now lead an evaluation of the exercise which will be presented to participants in a ‘Lessons Learned’ workshop to be hosted by Singapore in August. This is a capacity-building project endorsed by leaders as part of APEC’s Task Force on Emergency Preparedness.
The exercise was funded by AusAID. Australia will host the next APEC Summit in 2007.
Australia to compete in 2006 World Cup Soccer in Germany
Australia’s official soccer team, Socceroos, will compete in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany beginning 9 June.
Australia will compete in Group F against Japan on 12 June, Brazil on 18 June and Croatia on 22 June. If Australia finishes first or second in Group F it will proceed to the next stage of the competition.
The Australian Government has played a key role in the revitalisation of football in Australia in recent years, including through the establishment in 2002 of a major independent review into football, the Crawford Review.
Through the Australian Sports Commission, the Government’s primary funding and sports policy body, significant financial and practical assistance has been given to football in Australia.
Australia has also recently won entry into the thriving Asian Football Confederation.
News Stories – 2 June 2006
12th Meeting of APEC Ministers responsible for Trade Statement on Doha Development Agenda, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 1-2 June 2006
We, the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade, gathering for our 12th Meeting in Ho Chi Minh city, Viet Nam, strongly re-affirm our economies' commitment to the multilateral trading system and to a successful conclusion of the WTO Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations by the end of 2006.
The DDA round offers so much potential benefit for global trade, economic growth and development by delivering concrete results that expand trade flows. A strong market access result, among others, is a prerequisite for successful conclusion of this Round, as it has been in previous Rounds. We, therefore, commit ourselves to summon the necessary political will to conclude the negotiations with an ambitious and balanced outcome across the board and we call on all other parties to do likewise.
Our Leaders agreed last November that breaking the impasse in the agriculture negotiations, in particular market access, will unblock the key areas, including non-agricultural products and services. This is still the case. Urgent action is needed to drive the process of reaching agreement on agriculture and NAMA modalities by the end of June. At the end of July we need to see the overall shape of the package and have draft texts to work for a final result at the end of the year.
As we approach the end of June, APEC economies are ready to meet the challenge of agreeing ambitious modalities, based on the guidance agreed in the 2004 Frameworks and supplemented at Hong Kong. To do so, we must ensure that the flexibilities provided for in NAMA and agriculture do not undermine substantially improved market access.
- In NAMA, we agreed last year to pursue a simple Swiss formula. We support a formula with two ambitious coefficients applying to developed and developing Members delivering real and meaningful market access improvements. We are committed to continue work on sectoral initiatives using a critical mass approach and non-mandatory basis, with the aim to deliver results over and above those which would be achieved by the formula modality.
- In agriculture, we have agreed to make effective cuts and disciplines in trade-distorting domestic support and have a range of numbers on the table. On export competition we have agreed to the parallel elimination of all forms of export subsidies by 2013 with serious front loading, although work is still needed on disciplines on the other elements of export competition. Market access lags behind, where the issues of a tariff formula, along with other issues such as sensitive products and special products must be taken together to ensure substantial market opportunities that generate new trade flows while addressing sensitivities of Members. More work is required to establish S&D treatment, in particular for special products and SSM.
Each of us is ready to contribute to the end of June milestone by supporting strong formulas that deliver meaningful new opportunities for our economies to prosper and develop. APEC Economies account for close to 50% of world trade – we cannot afford to lose this opportunity for global growth. We intend to stay personally involved in the development of modalities and the outlines of the package by the end of July. When next meet in November, we will need to give the negotiations a final push towards conclusion.
We appreciate the contribution and efforts made by the Director-general of the WTO Pascal Lamy to advance the DDA Round negotiations and extend our fullest support and cooperation to both Director-General Lamy and the chairs of the WTO negotiating groups.
Australia responds to recent earthquake in Indonesia
The Australian Government is sending over 80 disaster relief experts to Yogyakarta, Indonesia as part of an expanded emergency response to the most recent devastating earthquake.
A 27 person medical team comprising surgeons, anaesthetists, operating staff, disaster medicine specialists and logisticians departed for Indonesia on 30 May. Medical, hospital and relief supplies, including AUD200,000 worth of orthopaedic instruments have also been provided.
AusAID officers have been involved in the relief effort in Yogyakarta since the earthquake struck.
Australia’s humanitarian aid for survivors of the quake has increased to AUD7.5 million. This includes:
- AUD2.5 million for medical teams, equipment and consumables;
- AUD0.5 million for engineering teams;
- AUD4 million through UN and non-government organisations, including assistance for emergency shelter and kitchens to feed quake victims; and
- AUD0.5 million for other needs as they are identified.
AusAID is also providing funds through international aid agencies for critical relief needs.
Australia sends urgent supplies to East Timor
Australia is providing an additional AUD2 million in assistance to meet the urgent needs of an estimated 90,000 people who have fled their homes following an outbreak of violence in East Timor.
Australia is sending up to AUD1 million in urgently needed food, water, shelter and medical supplies for East Timor. A further AUD1 million will be made available to UNICEF and other international agencies to assist their efforts in providing for the thousands who are displaced across East Timor.
Through AusAID, Australia has already committed AUD1 million to non-government agencies on the ground in Dili and has sent urgently needed medical equipment and blood supplies to Dili Hospital.
The funding follows the substantial deployment of Australian Defence Force and Federal Police personnel and brings the aid program’s commitment to more than AUD3 million.
Australia is continuing to monitor closely the situation in East Timor and stands ready to assist as required.
Australian Government welcomes wheat deal with Iraq
The Australian Government welcomes the announcement that "Wheat Australia" has reached agreement to sell 350 000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, the Hon. Mark Vaile MP, has welcomed a deal for Wheat Australia to supply 350 000 tonnes of wheat to Iraq.
During a visit to Baghdad in February 2006, Mr Vaile secured Iraqi agreement to keep the wheat market open to Australia.
Wheat Australia has stated that the agreement with the Iraqi Grains Board is worth in excess of AUD90 million to Australian farmers. Australia has been a major supplier of wheat to the Iraqi market for over 50 years. This announcement shows the continued value that Iraq places on its relationship with Australia, including as a supplier of high quality wheat.
Australia’s exports achieve second highest monthly record
Australian exports rose by 5 per cent to AUD16.9 billion in April 2006 - the second highest monthly record. Exports are on track to achieve a record high in 2005-06 with exports in the ten months to April 2006 up 17 per cent compared to the same period in 2004-05.
Resource exports rose by 5 per cent to AUD5.6 billion after exports from Western Australia, which had been disrupted by cyclones in March, resumed strong growth. Manufacturing exports rose by 3 per cent to AUD3.4 billion in April while services exports rose by 2 per cent.
With the rise in exports, the trade deficit narrowed by AUD416 million to AUD1.1 billion in April.