Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, has welcomed the Productivity Commission report "International Telecommunications Market Regulation" released this week. Mr Vaile particularly welcomed the Commission's recognition of the importance of pursuing further market liberalisation in other countries where barriers to effective competition remained. "The Federal Government will be promoting further liberalisation among our trading partners in forthcoming World Trade Organisation negotiations on telecommunications. "Australia can be proud of its own achievements in telecommunications
reform. The report recognises that Australia's own record puts
it in a good position to develop an international negotiating
position to pursue market liberalisation in other countries. "Telecommunications is increasingly becoming the backbone for growth and prosperity in Australia. We need to ensure that developments in the internet and e-commerce continue to generate opportunities for our consumers and businesses on an equitable international basis." The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is expected to launch a new round of trade negotiations in Seattle next week. Negotiations on services, including telecommunications, are already mandated to begin by January 2000. The Federal Government plans to build on the market liberalisation achievements of both the Uruguay Round, and the sectoral negotiations on basic telecommunications that concluded in 1997. Mr Vaile said the Government welcomed the participation and input of the telecommunications industry in the preparations for the new round.
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