The Hon Anthony Byrne MP, Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Trade
Australian Commonwealth Coat of Arms

2010 Australian Ministerial Council on International Trade

Media release

30 June 2010

The Parliamentary Secretary for Trade, Anthony Byrne, welcomed the participation of New Zealand Trade Minister Tim Groser in the Australian Ministerial Council on International Trade (MCIT) in Sydney today.

Mr Byrne, who chaired the Council meeting on behalf of the Commonwealth, said the participation of New Zealand would foster even closer cooperation between the two countries on trade and investment issues of common interest.

The MCIT brings together Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers responsible for trade and state development.

Mr Byrne said MCIT provided an opportunity for an exchange of information and views on a number of key issues including trade negotiations, overseas trade and investment promotion activities, the new Brand Australia campaign and Australia’s presence at the Shanghai World Expo, as well as trade-related productivity reforms.

He also said that it was significant that the Prime Ministers of both countries had decided that their respective trade and investment promotion agencies – Austrade and New Zealand Trade & Enterprise – should work closely together, including in the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to leverage the benefits of the new ASEAN-Australia-NZ FTA.

Representatives of the States and Territories noted their appreciation of the discussions and welcomed the participation of New Zealand.

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