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Australia continues to proactively negotiate plurilateral agreements under the auspices of, and alongside, the WTO. Australia is party to negotiations on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), Information Technology Agreement (ITA), and the Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA).

In January 2014, Australia and 13 other WTO Members, including China, the European Union, Japan and the United States launched negotiations for a plurilateral agreement on the liberalisation of trade in environmental goods. The EGA will be a non-preferential plurilateral agreement, reinforcing the multilateral trading system and benefiting all WTO Members by applying the principle of Most Favoured Nation. The EGA will build on commitments made by APEC Leaders in 2012 for reductions in tariffs on a list of 54 environmental goods, and will likely include other goods that directly and positively contribute to green growth and sustainable development. Australia is the current chair of the negotiations, which commenced in July 2014. When concluded, the agreement will eliminate tariffs on an agreed range of goods to help protect the environment and address climate change.

Australia has also sought to pursue environmental objectives and enhance international cooperation in environmental matters of shared interest through FTA negotiations. Provisions are included in all of Australia's FTAs which allow governments to provide legitimate protection for their environments, while simultaneously guarding against trade distorting policies taken in the guise of environmental protection. Three of Australia's finalised FTAs also contain specific chapters on the environment: Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), the Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement (ACI-FTA) and the Australia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA).

Table A2. 2 RTAs in force, 2014
Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA)
- Coverage (selected features): Services, government procurement, intellectual property, competition policy, environment, and labour

Free Trade Agreement between Australia and Malaysia
- Coverage (selected features): Services, competition policy, environment, intellectual property rights, investment, and labour

Australia - United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA)
- Coverage (selected features): Services, investment, government procurement, competition policy, e-commerce, intellectual property rights, labour issues and environmental matters

KAFTA (Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement) gives Australian exporters significantly improved market access in goods and services and improves bilateral investment protections. (...) The Agreement includes an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism, which incorporates safeguards in policy areas such as public health and environmental measures.

The Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA) was signed in April 2014 and entered into force on 12 December 2014. (…) The Agreement also contains provisions on intellectual property rights, competition policy, electronic commerce, labour and the environment as well as provisions for investor-state dispute settlement.

Australia's bilateral RTA with Malaysia (MAFTA) entered into force on January 2013. (…) The Agreement contains provisions on competition policy and intellectual property rights as well as side-letters on environmental issues and labour provisions.

(…) Australia also takes a strong interest in the OECD's work on the policy implications of global value chains, as well as its ongoing analytical work in areas such as non-tariff measures, regional trade agreements, export credits, environment and trade, trade and development and aid for trade.

Australia manages its biosecurity risks offshore, at the border, and within Australia — the biosecurity continuum. This framework manages biosecurity risks at the point where intervention is most effective. Several historical reviews have identified improvements to Australia's biosecurity system. Australia's biosecurity system is continuously reformed to ensure it keeps pace with the dynamic biosecurity environment. Central to these reform activities has been the focus on managing risks at all points on the biosecurity continuum. There is an emphasis on prevention, preparedness and early intervention. This includes activities offshore to reduce risks before they reach the border, actions at the border to deal with risks, and managing activities within Australia to minimise the impact of incursions and to facilitate trade. There is also a focus on aligning resources and regulatory effort based on the level of risk. This approach includes ensuring sustainable funding, improving legislative frameworks, modernising information and communications technology systems and enhancing the management of established pests and diseases.

During the review period, Australia pursued reforms towards developing a modern and responsive system that facilitates trade while managing biosecurity risks offshore, at the border and onshore in line with the recommendations of a 2008 independent review. An Intergovernmental Agreement on Biosecurity aimed at helping avoid unnecessary duplication and improve the efficiency of resource-use across jurisdictions, was signed by the Prime Minister and all state and territory First Ministers — excluding Tasmania — in January 2012. The Department of Agriculture worked with state and territory departments and research organisations to establish a national capacity for biosecurity benefit–cost analysis to support decision-making in managing incursions of pests and diseases. (...)