Trade Minister Dan Tehan says the recent in-principle Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the UK is the “most comprehensive” FTA Australia has ever done outside of the one with New Zealand.
“It’s a gold standard agreement and the incredibly important part about this is it covers investment, services, government procurement, but it also captures all aspects of our agriculture sector,” he said.
The historic deal – Britain’s first since leaving the European Union – will see up to 99 per cent of Australian goods enter the UK duty-free and will mean greater flexibility for professionals and working holidaymakers.
Australia’s “truly historic” free trade agreement with the United Kingdom has “reenergised the relationship” between “two old friends”, says UK High Commissioner to Australia Victoria Treadell.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and counterpart Boris Johnson reached an “in principle” agreement overnight which would offer Australian farmers tariff-free access to the British market.
Ms Treadell says the agreement would serve as a launching pad for further international collaboration with other nations.
“This speaks to our relationship, there’s always a risk with two old friends that you can take each other for granted, to be complacent in the relationship,” she told Sky News.
“We could’ve been really comfortable, continuing as we were.
“The whole process of negotiating this FTA has reenergised the relationship, and in those negotiations, we’ve identified many other areas where we can collaborate in a far deeper way.
“Those kinds of opportunities that we have uniquely pursued with each other also set a template for how we can work together internationally and do it with other countries.”