News Stories – 27 November 2008
APEC Leaders deliver strong message on Global Financial Crisis and Doha Round
APEC Leaders agreed to act decisively to address the global economic slowdown and to advance Doha negotiations.
Australia has a strong commitment to APEC as the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd participated in the 20th APEC Leaders Meeting in Lima over the weekend (22 – 23 November).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith and Minister of Trade Simon Crean attended the Ministerial Meeting earlier that week (19 – 20 November). The 20th APEC Leaders Week focused on addressing the major economic, human security, environmental and social challenges facing the region.
Leaders agreed that ensuring a rapid, coordinated and effective response to the global financial crisis was of the highest priority. Australia welcomed member economies’ renewed commitment to open markets and free trade in the Asia-Pacific region.
APEC economies pledged to resist protectionist pressures arising from the global financial crisis by not raising new barriers to trade and investment.
APEC economies agreed to accelerate vital work on Regional Economic Integration by tackling behind-the-border impediments to trade and investment
and by intensifying the structural economic reforms necessary to build vibrant, resilient and robust economies.
APEC Leaders undertook to step up engagement with partners to urgently advance the WTO Doha negotiations, and instructed trade ministers to meet in Geneva by the end of the year.
Australia announced the provision of $2 million to support human security and institutional reform initiatives with APEC.
Australia and Indonesia announced the establishment of a joint regional disaster management facility to build disaster reduction and management capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Rudd, Mr Smith and Mr Crean undertook extensive bilateral programs with APEC counterparts, including in relation to the proposed Asia-Pacific Community, financial crisis, the Doha Round, climate change cooperation and regional architecture.
Australia’s participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Negotiations
Australia has announced its intention to participate in negotiations towards a comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement that aims to strengthen regional economic integration.
On 20 November, at the APEC Ministerial Meeting in Peru, Mr Crean announced that Australia would participate in negotiations towards a comprehensive Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The TPP Agreement will expand on the existing Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (P4) Agreement between New Zealand, Singapore, Chile and Brunei.
Peru joined Australia in announcing on 20 November its intention to join the negotiations. The United States announced its participation in the TPP initiative on 23 September.
With the confirmed participation of the United States, Peru and Australia, there is strong potential for the TPP to develop into a broad-based and high-quality free trade agreement. It is anticipated that the TPP would draw in other interested regional countries in due course.
Australia’s view is that the TPP Agreement is a significant strategic opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region to enhance liberalisation within the region. It is a major boost to the Government’s objective of strengthening regional economic architecture, including the longer term objective of an APEC region-wide FTA.
Australia is committed to strengthening its commercial ties in the Asia Pacific region. Stronger regional economic integration contributes to improved trade liberalisation and harmonisation. Australia’s view is that comprehensive, high-quality trade agreements can support the multilateral trading system, which remains Australia’s highest trade policy priority.
Australia’s decision to join the TPP negotiations followed extensive public consultation in line with the Government’s commitment to consult widely prior to pursuing bilateral and regional trade agreements. The overall consensus of the consultations was that Australia should participate in the negotiations in light of the strategic benefits and potential commercial gains.
Australia’s participation in a TPP Agreement was also recommended by the Review of Export Policies and Programs (the Mortimer Review), commissioned by the Government and released on 22 September. Australia’s trade with the United States and the P4 countries amounts to more than 20 per cent of Australia’s total two-way goods and services trade.
The first round of TPP negotiations will take place in March 2009 in Singapore.
News Stories – 20 November 2008
The G20 Leaders Meeting 15 November
The substantive outcomes of the G20 Leaders Meeting consolidate the G20 as the forum best equipped to lead the response to the global financial crisis. G20 members and members of the global community now need to rapidly implement the priority actions agreed by the G20.
The 15 November G20 Leaders Meeting in Washington consolidated the G20 as the forum best equipped to lead on the challenges of the global financial crisis.
The G20 have a abroad geographical and developed/developing economy which represents 95 per cent of world GNP and 85 per cent of the world’s banking system.
The G20 demonstrated its capacity to marshal a swift and decisive global response with Leaders’ agreement to:
- a practical outcomes-focused Action Agenda and a short time-frame for completing priority work (by 31 March 2009)
- task G20 Finance Ministers to follow through with coordination of implementation
The G20 will meet again by 30 April 2009 to assess progress in implementation and agree on further actions required.
The G20 Leaders Meeting addressed Australia’s key substantive concerns including attaining agreement on:
- the need for an urgent fiscal and monetary response to sustain global economic growth and stabilise financial markets
- an Action Plan that lays the foundation for reform of financial markets
greater support for emerging and developing economies during these difficult financial conditions
- a strong rejection of protectionism and commitment to strive towards a modalities agreement by end-2008 for the WTO Doha Round negotiations.
G20 members, and all members of the global community, have a strong interest in rapidly implementing the priority elements of the Leaders’ Declaration and Action Plan.
Ssuccess of the global response to the global economic slowdown is likely to rest on the value, timeliness and co-ordination of fiscal and monetary responses.
Success in our ability to avoid future crises rests on our ability to implement the reforms necessary to address the weaknesses in our financial markets and international financial institutions.
A New Car Plan for a Greener Future
The Australian Government has released a $6.2 billion plan to assist the Australian automotive industry address the challenges of a low-carbon future. The plan provides incentives to the industry to invest in new technology and innovation, which is important in helping the industry improve its productivity and international competitiveness.
A New Car Plan for a Greener Future commits $6.2 billion to make the automotive industry more economically and environmentally sustainable by the 2020.
The plan adopts the scheduled reduction in passenger car and parts tariffs from 10 to 5 per cent on 1 January 2010.
The plan will work in four key areas. It will attract new investment in long-term, sustainable vehicle production; green the industry – improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions; strengthen the local supply chain and boost skills; and link to international supply chains and improve market access for Australian manufacturers.
The plan provides investment certainty to the industry and demonstrates the government's commitment to modern manufacturing and providing high-skill, high-wage jobs for Australians.
The $7.7 billion automotive industry employs over 60,000 Australians, is central to manufacturing because it involves almost every advanced technology used, and is critical to national research and development (R&D) and exports.
Australia is one of only 15 nations able to create a car from design to production.
Screen Australia established to expand Australian film and television
Screen Australia – the new Government body encouraging greater private investment in Australian film and television - has its new CEO in place. The inaugural Chief Executive Officer of the recently-created Screen Australia, Dr Ruth Harley, took up her position on 17 November.
Screen Australia began operations on July 1, 2008, and brings together the former Australian Film Commission (AFC), the Film Finance Corporation (FFC) and Film Australia.
The National Film and Sound Archive, previously part of the AFC, has been established as a separate statutory authority.
Dr Harley has been the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Film Commission since 1997 and has more than 20 years experience in the film and television industries.
The creation of Screen Australia heralds a new era in Australian film and television, expanding the potential of the industry.
Currently more than 50,000 people are employed in the industry.
Screen Australia aims to be a strong centralised funding body, encouraging greater private investment in Australian film and television and building on the enormous contribution the industry already makes to the Australian economy.
Screen Australia’s goal is to develop, produce, promote, distribute and provide access to diverse Australian programs, and support the development of the Australian screen production industry, so that Australian screen content is accessible nationally and internationally.
‘Australia’ the movie and Tourism Australia
“Australia”, the Baz Luhrmann produced film set in northern Australia in the years leading up to and during World War Two, was launched in Sydney on 18 November.
Tourism Australia and Luhrmann have created a new, sophisticated $50 million destination campaign based on the film aimed at making Australia the 'must visit' destination for travellers around the world.
The campaign began in October and will run in Tourism Australia's 22 major markets around the world using cinema, television, print and online until mid 2009. For more information go to; www.australiamovie.com
News Stories - 13 November
Mr Smith’s Launch of Book and Exhibition on History of the Australian Passport
On 10 November 2008, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Smith, underlined the high quality of the service provided by the Australian Passport Office to the Australian travelling public in launching a book and an exhibition on the history of the Australian passport.
On 10 November in the R.G. Casey Building Mr Smith launched a book prepared in the Historical Publications and Information Section and a related exhibition, both entitled Every Assistance and Protection: A History of the Australian Passport.
I doing so he underlined the high quality of the service which the Australian Passport Office provides to the travelling public.
In 1951 less than 30,000 passports were issued to an Australian population of 8 million while in financial year 2007-2008, the APO issued more than 1.5 million.
The proportion of Australia’s population with a valid passport is now about 45 per cent (around 9.5 million people), compared with just 36 per cent in the mid-1990s.
On recent projections, the APO will issue about 2 million passports in five years’ time; if this projection is realised it will represent a doubling of the Office’s workload in just nine years.
Mr Smith commended the APO for managing this huge increase in demand efficiently, keeping the average time taken to process passport applications to less than five days.
This is well within the advertised ten working days service level in the Office’s Client Service Charter.
Mr Smith highlighted how Australia was at the forefront of international efforts in the 1970s and 1980s to develop machine readable passports, and how Australia has also undertaken a prominent role in developing a ‘biometric’ passport, the Australian ePassport.
In his wide-ranging speech, Mr Smith explained that over the course of the half-century from 1948, our passport was transformed into a document attesting to the bearer’s membership of an Australian citizenry that had steadily become one of the most multicultural in the world.
The Minister also reaffirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to providing the Australian travelling public with high quality Australian passports to facilitate international travel.
And he underlined the commitment of the Australian government to work with foreign governments to ensure that Australian citizens ‘pass freely’ and receive ‘every assistance and protection’ when they travel abroad.
WTO Doha Round: Push to conclude modalities this year
Australia is pressing for political engagement to finalise Doha modalities this year, which would provide a much needed boost to the global economy.
Australia strongly supports concluding WTO Doha Round modalities by the end of this year, building on the substantial progress made at the Ministerial meeting in July 2008.
Further liberalisation of trade would boost confidence in the global economy, help alleviate poverty and improve global food security.
Mr Crean visited Geneva on 4-5 November 2008 to press for strong political engagement to provide direction and guidance to officials in Geneva.
Mr Crean met with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, Negotiating Group Chairs for Agriculture and Non-Agriculture Market Access, as well as ambassadors of Cairns Group countries.
Australia is pushing for the G20 Leaders Summit on 15 November in Washington on the international financial crisis as well as the APEC meeting in Peru in November to give a strong message on the importance of finalising a Doha modalities package before the end of the year.
Shanghai World Expo Construction, Exhibition and Technical Operation contract
On 6 November Australia marked an important milestone in its preparations for the Shanghai World Expo, signing the $49.15 million contract for the Australian pavilion’s construction, exhibition and technical operations.
Bovis Lend Lease has won a public tender to provide construction, exhibition and technical operations services worth $49.15 million for Australia’s pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Bovis has 15 years experience in China and will work with Melbourne exhibition designer Think!OTS and a range of other leading companies to deliver the project.
This expo will be the biggest in history, with over 200 participating countries and organisations and 70 million visitors expected between 1 May and 31 October 2010.
As the first world expo ever hosted by China, and post Olympics, it is of great economic and political significance to Shanghai and China as a whole.
It is an unprecedented opportunity for Australia to reinforce existing bilateral links and cultivate new areas of cooperation with China.
Consequently, the Government has announced the largest ever commitment by Australia to a world expo, with a total project cost of $83 million. $61 million will be provided by Government and $22 million will be sought in corporate sponsorship and partnerships with the states and territories.
The Australian pavilion will be a compelling platform from which to raise Australia’s profile in the China market, showcase Australian innovation and design expertise, and support Australia’s broader trade and investment interests in China.
The pavilion’s exhibitions will entertain visitors and project a clear image of contemporary Australia as a country with a sophisticated modern economy, a skilled workforce, and a culturally diverse society.
Some seven million visitors are expected to visit Australia’s pavilion.
The expo provides a wealth of opportunities for Australian business. Companies will be able to participate in a structured program of trade and investment promotion activities in the pavilion’s VIP area.
DFAT is working closely with Austrade, federal agencies and the states/territories to develop the program across the following key sectors:
resources; agribusiness; building, design and construction; tourism; education; financial and legal services; clean energy, renewables and environmental technology; food and wine; consumer products (e.g. marine, lifestyle and leisure); the arts, culture and creative industries; mining services and technology; smart technology and advanced manufacturing; and telecommunications.
Australian business is also able to access opportunities to provide goods and services for the project and to become corporate sponsors.
Further information is available at www.expo2010.com.au.
News Stories – 6 November 2008
Strengthening the Australia-US alliance under the Obama Administration
The Prime Minister congratulated Barack Obama on his election victory and looked forward to strengthening the Australia-US alliance further under the Obama Administration.
The Prime Minister congratulated Barack Obama on his election victory and said that: “Australia looks forward to working…in the closest possible partnership with an Obama Administration, acting together to deal with the great common global challenges we face as democracies”.
Australia’s alliance with the United States is a key pillar of the Government’s foreign policy. It has prospered for over half a century and transcends party-political affiliation.
Mr Rudd expressed confidence that the alliance would continue to prosper into the future.
Mr Rudd said that: “the world looks to America for global leadership on the great global challenges of the 21st century: the global financial crisis, the challenge of climate change, the great challenges and opportunities of the Asia Pacific century…and the continuing challenges of security”.
This is a time when the international system is facing enormous challenges, requiring concerted action and cooperation with our closest allies and the international community.
The United States will remain an essential partner for Australia in responding to these challenges now and into the future.
AusAID Brisbane Emergency Stores Warehouse Accelerates Australia's International Disaster Response
A warehouse containing essential emergency relief supplies was opened on 29th October to enable Australian humanitarian agencies respond faster to disasters in our region.
The warehouse will help Australian humanitarian agencies to respond quicker and more effectively to natural disasters and humanitarian crises in our region.
The facility operates as a partnership between AusAID, Oxfam, World Vision and the Australian Red Cross.
The warehouse contains about 100 tonnes of supplies, valued at around $1 million.
These supplies include items such as tarpaulins, water purification tablets and jerry cans.
NGO’s will be responsible for purchasing and storing their own emergency supplies at the warehouse.
AusAID has committed $1.5 million over three years to the joint warehouse - the first of its kind in the region.
This funding will cover the management, administration and insurance of the warehouse.
In 2008-09, Australia will provide some $320 million to support humanitarian, emergency and refugee programs.
Australia’s humanitarian program expanded in 2007-08, including a new four-year $93.3 million enhanced humanitarian response and disaster risk management program.
On average Australia provides assistance in over 30 humanitarian and emergency situations every year.
This year the Government provided assistance to the victims of cyclones in Burma and Bangladesh, the Chinese earthquake, floods and landslides in Indonesia and humanitarian food aid to Kenya, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.
A critical factor in planning for an emergency response is the geographical location in which supplies are located and the supply chain to deploy them.
Brisbane was chosen as the location for the store due to its close proximity to the Brisbane port and airport, both hubs for transporting supplies to the Pacific, and its proximity to the Amberley Air Force Base in cases where Australian Defence Force assets may be used to deliver relief.