The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) welcomes submissions from interested individuals and groups on the potential opportunities and impacts of a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Kingdom (UK). Individuals, organisations and groups that make submissions will be registered as stakeholders by the Department for further consultation and follow up, as appropriate.
Stakeholders are invited to consider and comment on the commercial, economic, regional and other impacts that could be expected to arise from a future Australia-UK FTA. In your submission, you may wish to focus on specific market access challenges and other issues of importance in doing business with the UK. Especially helpful would be information on tariff and non-tariff barriers to goods and services trade and barriers to investment.
Possible issues stakeholders may wish to address include:
- goods market access (tariffs and quotas)
- biosecurity and food safety issues
- regulatory issues
- customs procedures
- cross-border trade in services
- financial services
- investment, including investor-state dispute settlement
- government procurement
- intellectual property, including geographical indications
- barriers to trade in emerging and innovative industries e.g, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, IT incubators
- movement of persons
- competition policy
- sustainable development
Observations based on past experience in the UK or in other markets that may have some bearing upon a future FTA with the UK would be received with interest. Alternatively, you may wish to raise more general issues associated with the impact of a possible Australia-UK FTA on Australia.
The information stakeholders provide will assist the Government in determining Australia's key priorities for a future FTA with the UK.
Written submissions may take several forms - from a short email through to a more comprehensive analytical paper.
Submissions and confidentiality
All submissions will be treated as public and may be published on this website, unless the author specifically requests that the submission, or part thereof, be handled in confidence. Unless otherwise requested, DFAT will publish the submission and the name of the submitting organisation or individual on its website. DFAT will not edit submissions prior to publishing. All details that have been included in a submission, including contact information, will be available on the DFAT website.
Submitters may request that all, or part, of a submission be treated as confidential. Material supplied in-confidence should be clearly marked 'IN CONFIDENCE' and be provided in a separate attachment to non-confidential material.
By making a submission, the author(s) agree to their submission, or part thereof, being used by the Commonwealth of Australia for Commonwealth purposes.
Submissions may be lodged as follows:
Email: ukfta@dfat.gov.au
Mail:
Australia-UK FTA Coordinator
Regional Trade Agreements Division
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
RG Casey Building, John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221
All submissions will be made publicly available on the DFAT website unless the author specifies otherwise.