Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

() (): On behalf of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties, I present the committee's report and incorporate the dissenting report—who would have thought!—entitled Report 172: Singapore Free Trade Amendment Defence Supplies and Services to Japan.

Report made a parliamentary paper in accordance with standing order 39(e).

by leave—Today I rise to make a statement concerning the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties' Report 172. The report contains the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties' review of two treaty actions: the agreement to amend the Singapore Free Trade Agreement; and the agreement between Australia and Japan concerning the reciprocal provision of defence supplies.

Firstly, the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement. Australia has had tariff-free access for goods exported to Singapore since 2003. However, Australian access for services and service suppliers to the Singapore market has been more difficult to achieve.

The agreement to amend the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement consequently focusses on services and regulatory issues.

The agreement also incorporates a number of improved provisions previously negotiated as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement.

One of the improvements is an updated version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership's Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions.

The new ISDS provisions in the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement will protect Australia from claims on: tobacco control measures; the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme; Medicare; foreign investment decisions; and Indigenous traditional cultural expressions, amongst others.

Another important outcome relates to Singapore's recognition of Australian university qualifications.

Singapore has recently adopted a more internally focused attitude towards recognising foreign university qualifications, particularly law qualifications.

For example, Singapore recently removed eight British universities from its list of recognised law qualifications.

In this environment, I think it is perfectly reasonable to say that Australia has notably succeeded in retaining the number of recognised Australian law qualifications recognised by Singapore. It also speaks to the world-class tertiary institutions we have in Australia.

Australia has also obtained concessions that will make it easier for Australian law practitioners to open offices in Singapore to practice international and Singaporean law.

In relation to other skilled professionals, the amendment to the Singapore free trade agreement establishes a formal framework for negotiating the mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

In an increasingly international environment that is more internally looking—another word could be 'protectionist'—the amendment to the Singapore free trade agreement shows Australia can both defend its access to foreign markets and open up new fields for Australian business to explore. The committee wholeheartedly supports the proposed treaty action.

Report 172 also contains the committee's views on the agreement between the government of Australia and the government of Japan concerning reciprocal provision of supplies and services between the Australian Defence Force and the Self-Defense Force of Japan.

The agreement replaces a similar agreement that came into force in 2013, and reflects changes in Japanese domestic law relating to Japan's involvement in international peace-keeping activities.

The agreement will permit the provision of logistic supplies and services to the military forces of Australia and Japan for specified joint activities. These supplies and services will be in return for either cash payment or the reciprocal provision of logistic supplies and services.

Specifically, the agreement now includes the reciprocal provision of services and supplies for internationally coordinated peacekeeping and security operations.

The proposed agreement will ensure that Australia's logistical relationship with Japan remains on the same footing as Japan's logistical relationship with other close allies, including the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

The committee supports ratification of this agreement.

Finally, the report also contains the committee's review of two minor treaty actions:

On behalf of the committee, I recommend and commend the report to the House.