AUSFTA in Action

Australia's economic relationship with the United States is strong and continues to expand under the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), the Australian Government Minister for Trade, Warren Truss, said today.

Mr Truss was launching AUSFTA in Action, a new brochure from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade highlighting the FTA's role in the economic relationship with the United States.

"The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement is delivering real benefits to Australian industry and consumers. It not only provides enhanced market access for Australia's services, manufacturing, agriculture and resources sectors, but it also works to make these sectors more productive by stimulating investment," Mr Truss said.

"Although the Agreement is still in its early days, our exporters are already taking advantage of the improved access that AUSFTA provides. For example, we saw significant increases in our dairy, lamb and mutton, and orange exports in 2005."

AUSFTA also gives Australian service providers unprecedented access to the world's largest services market. Services exports account for around a third of Australia's total exports to the United States.

"By providing a framework for promoting the mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and licensing and accreditation requirements, the FTA will improve professional mobility and further strengthen the gains already made under the Agreement for Australian service suppliers.

"We are also seeing Australian companies make inroads into the world's largest government procurement market courtesy of AUSFTA. Australian exporters secured over A$95 million worth of Austrade-assisted procurement contracts in the last financial year alone and will continue to benefit from the access to US procurement markets that the FTA provides," Mr Truss said.

Copies of AUSFTA in Action are available through the Department's state and territory offices, or online (pdf, 524KB)

Media Inquiries: Minister Truss' office 02 6277 7420 - Departmental Media Liaison 02 6261 1555