Officials from the governments of the United Kingdom and Australia met virtually on 11 June to discuss the United Kingdom-Australia Free Trade Agreement, one year after its entry into force, as per the obligation under Article 29.4(1) of the Free Trade Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Australia.
The meeting took place during the pre-election period, ahead of the United Kingdom’s General Election on 4 July 2024. As a result, discussions were limited to reflecting back on joint work and developments during the first year of the agreement being in force.
Both sides took stock of current trade flows. Total trade in goods between Australia and the UK totalled £6.7 billion or AUD12.7 billion between June 2023 and April 2024, with strong growth in those areas liberalised by the FTA. Meanwhile, total trade in services between the UK and Australia totalled £6.5 billion or AUD12.4 billion in the second half of 2023 (Q3 and Q4 2023).
Reflecting on the first year of the UK-Australia FTA, both sides highlighted key areas jointly delivered by the UK and Australia, including the Strategic Innovation Dialogue, which focused on key areas such as:
- health and biotechnology
- battery technology
- AI
- offshore wind
The meeting also noted working group discussions held through the year on:
- goods
- rules of origin
- sanitary and phytosanitary
- animal welfare
- services and investment
- professional services
- intellectual property
- environment
- technical barriers to trade
- innovation
Other areas of focus included the Legal Services Regulatory Dialogue, and the Artists’ Resale Right commitment, which, after its introduction on 31 March 2024, allows UK and Australian artists, including First Nations artists, to claim resale royalties each time their eligible artworks are resold.
The meeting concluded with both sides emphasising the importance of the UK-Australia trade relationship.
