Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

The Australian government welcomes the fact that, thanks to the advocacy of many nations, including Australia, G20 leaders reaffirmed their commitment to working with the World Trade Organization, to a rules based international order capable of responding to those international developments. The Prime Minister went to the G20 advocating for Australia and other nations to take the lead in modernising elements of WTO rules and to show leadership in commencing negotiations around new e-commerce provisions, because the way the world trades is changing dramatically. Australian businesses are playing a leading role, with more digital trade and e-commerce activities, particularly within our region with ASEAN nations and across the Indo-Pacific region. We want to make sure that we take leadership to guarantee that future business opportunities are underpinned by the types of rules that have guaranteed our trading relations so successfully in the past, and the Prime Minister's leadership delivered that in the G20 communique.