After months of negotiations, the UK and Australia are set to finalize their long anticipated trade deal this week, providing for tariff free trade and greater mobility for citizens.
Written by James Skinner
The final text could be confirmed as soon as today (December 16th) according to a source familiar with the negotiations. Britain’s Department for International Trade said it would make an announcement shortly.
“We continue to make good progress towards finalising the free trade agreement and will announce its signature in due course,” the department said in a statement. “Our trade deal with Australia will boost the economy, increase household wages and deliver benefits and opportunities throughout the UK.”.
The UK announced an agreement-in-principle with Australia in June after months of negotiations regarding agriculture, visas and exports.
The agreement is significant for the CANZUK campaign as it not only provides for the freer movement of goods between the two nations, but will bring in sweeping reforms to the UK and Australia’s immigration protocols. The Australian government are already seeking to expand visa changes over the coming months to lure more British workers to Australia (with reciprocity offered by the British government in return).
Australian Trade Minister, Dan Tehan, has already stated that Australia would be “willing to do more” than what the new trade agreement will offer on mobility, saying, “If we can’t have free exchange and movement of people between ourselves, then who can we have it with?”.
CANZUK International welcomes the finalization of the Australia-UK trade agreement and will continue to work with Ministers across both countries to push for significant visa reforms and freer movement of citizens.
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