News Stories - 7 August 2009

15th Australia-Malaysia Joint Trade Committee meeting

Australia has agreed to strengthen its commercial relationship with Malaysia – Australia’s eleventh-largest trading partner – including through enhanced cooperation on green technology and clean energy, and exploring opportunities in Islamic finance. Negotiations on a Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement will resume in mid-August.

Mr Crean and the Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry, Dato’ Mustapa Mohamed, co-chaired the 15th annual Australia-Malaysia Joint Trade Committee meeting on 4 August in Melbourne.

Malaysia is Australia’s third-largest two-way trading partner in ASEAN and eleventh-largest overall. Ministers exchanged views on global and regional economic developments in the context of the global economic crisis and re-affirmed the importance of resisting protectionism and opening markets.

They also emphasised their shared commitment to concluding the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round negotiations. Ministers agreed to a range of areas for enhanced bilateral engagement, including: exploring ways to strengthen cooperation in Islamic finance and creating a series of round-table meetings to explore opportunities in green technology and clean energy, logistics, and automotive industries.

Business representatives from the Australia-Malaysia Business Council and the Malaysia-Australia Business Council met in parallel with the JTC and reported to Ministers on their priorities.

Ministers also discussed next steps for the Malaysia-Australia FTA (MAFTA) negotiations which are due to resume in mid-August. MAFTA represents a great opportunity to build on the platform laid by the historic Australia-New Zealand-ASEAN FTA (AANZFTA) signed in February.

News Stories - 30 July 2009

Australia’s future is deeply tied to the security and prosperity of our South East Asian neighbours and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

A series of Ministerial and senior official exchanges in July have deepened our valued relationships with Singapore and Vietnam, as well as our cooperation with regional partners in the struggle against people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crimes.

Sixth Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) Meeting
Australia attaches high priority to its relationship with Singapore. Australian and Singaporean Ministers have strengthened bilateral cooperation on defence and security, people-smuggling, counter-terrorism, trade liberalisation and people-to-people exchanges.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, Trade Minister Simon Crean and Defence Minister John Faulkner have visited Singapore to strengthen cooperation on defence and security, people-smuggling, counter-terrorism, trade liberalisation and people-to-people exchanges, the three Ministers met their Singapore counterparts at the Sixth Meeting of the Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) in Singapore on 27 July. They agreed the longstanding bilateral partnership could be drawn upon to respond to a broad range of issues in support of regional stability and growth.

Ministers affirmed their commitment to work together to accelerate WTO negotiations in the WTO and agreed to strengthen the Asia-Pacific region's competitiveness by accelerating economic integration.

Australia and Singapore will also work together to strengthen the Trans-Pacific Economic Partnership agreement as a building block for further liberalisation in the region.

Australia and Singapore agreed to enhance security cooperation to address high-priority regional issues such as people smuggling and terrorism.
Bilateral defence relations between Australia and Singapore are strong, covering a comprehensive range of activities including personnel exchanges and training exercises.

Ministers reaffirmed the importance of continuing professional interactions and exchanges under the Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed by Prime Minister Rudd and Prime Minister Lee in 2008.

As part of the SAJMC program, Trade Ministers concluded the Second Ministerial Review of the Singapore Australia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) – one of Australia's most comprehensive FTAs. Singapore is Australia's largest two-way trading partner in ASEAN and fourth-largest overall, with total two-way goods and services trade valued at $31 billion in 2008.

Australian and Singaporean industry bodies have also signed a new agreement on cooperation in the clean energy sector.

See also: SAJMC communiqué

Trade and investment key to stronger ties with Vietnam

Australia’s trade and investment relationship with Vietnam is growing rapidly. Australia supports Vietnam’s agenda for structural economic reform and integration into the global economy.

Australia and Vietnam have a long-standing bilateral relationship which is growing rapidly, particularly in the areas of trade and investment, two-way trade between Australia and Vietnam has grown at an average of over 20 per cent a year over the last five years, to reach $8 billion in 2008, making Vietnam our fastest-growing trading partner in ASEAN.

Australia is committed to building stronger trade and investment links between the two countries.

Trade Minister Simon Crean co-chaired the 8th Joint Trade and Economic Cooperation Committee (JTECC) with the Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Mr Vo Hong Phuc in Vietnam on 24 July. The meeting focused on education and training, infrastructure and environmental management, financial services, energy, oil and gas, and agribusiness.

The Ministers also discussed multilateral trade issues, such as concluding the Doha Round, maximising the benefits of the new ASEAN-Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and enhancing regional economic architecture.
Mr Crean strongly encouraged Vietnam to press ahead with market reforms in order to address structural weaknesses and to ensure Vietnam emerges strongly from the global financial crisis; structural reform is fundamental in creating well-performing, resilient and robust economies by tackling behind the border barriers to trade and investment.

Australia demonstrated its support for Vietnam’s economic reform agenda by committing $12 million to the Beyond WTO program. The program will maximise the employment and poverty reduction benefits of Vietnam’s ongoing integration with the global economy.

Regional countries intensify cooperation on people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crimes.

Australia and Indonesia continue to lead regional efforts to combat people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crimes. A 12-country meeting of the Bali Process has agreed to intensify cooperation on irregular movements of Afghan, Sri Lankan and Rohingya people.

Australia and Indonesia co-chaired the first Ad Hoc Group meeting of the Bali Process in Bali from 27 to 29 July. The meeting was convened to address the increase in irregular movements of Afghan, Sri Lankan and Rohingya peoples in the region.

12 key source, transit and destination countries, as well as UNHCR, IOM, UNODC and the ASEAN Secretariat, attended the meeting.

The meeting discussed the need for standard operating procedures between countries facing irregular migration on the high seas and in territorial waters, and coordinated patrols to monitor movement of people by sea.

Countries agreed to expert meetings of senior law enforcement officials to coordinate investigations and prosecutions of people smugglers. They also agreed to explore development of a standard regional approach to managing irregular maritime ventures, as well as a regional airline liaison officer network.
Australia and a smaller group of countries agreed to meet more regularly to address initially increasing irregular movements of Sri Lankans.

News Stories - 23 July 2009

Jakarta Bombings: Australia's Response

Australia unreservedly condemns the 17 July terrorist attacks and has offered whatever support Indonesia may need to investigate them.

Prime Minister Rudd has unreservedly condemned the 17 July terrorist attacks at the JW Marriott Hotel and the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Jakarta, saying that “any terrorist attack is an act of cowardice that violates the fundamental principles of human decency”. The bombings took the lives of three Australians, among nine people killed and 53 injured, according to Indonesian authorities.

Australia stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Indonesia at this terrible time; we fully support the words and message of President Yudhoyono that ‘we must not surrender to terrorism.’ Australia has offered Indonesia whatever cooperation and support is needed to help its investigations into the bombings. Prime Minister Rudd and Indonesian President Yudhoyono have agreed to intensify cooperation between Australian and Indonesian police and security agencies.

The AFP and other Australian agencies have excellent, cooperative relationships with their Indonesian counterparts, built up over numerous years, and are already cooperating with the investigation.

News Stories - 16 July 2009

Mr Smith's Attendance at the Non-Aligned Movement Summit

Mr Smith’s attendance at the Fifteenth Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Egypt 14-16 July highlights our status as a multilateralist, with a commitment to engaging constructively with developing countries on the issues of concern to them.

This is the first time an Australian Foreign Minister has attended a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement since 1995. The visit highlights Australia’s commitment to the multilateral system and to engaging constructively with developing countries on issues of concern to them.

The Non-Aligned Movement includes almost two-thirds of the members of the United Nations and over half of the world’s population. Its Summit is the largest regular gathering of world leaders outside the United Nations General Assembly.
The Non-Aligned Movement plays an important role in the multilateral system and plays an important part in shaping outcomes and approaches to global challenges.

Mr Smith will met with a range of Foreign Ministerial counterparts and will take the opportunity to discuss:
important global challenges, such as climate change, the global recession, continuing food insecurity and disarmament, Australia’s multilateral and foreign policy priorities and Australia’s commitment to increased engagement with Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Release of the UN's Millennium Development Goals Report 2009

The Australian Government welcomed the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report 2009 issued on 6 July. Helping developing countries achieve their MDG targets is at the centre of Australia's aid program

In 2009-10 Australia will commit more than $3.8 billion to the aid program and has promised to increase this further from 0.34% of GNI this year to 0.5% by 2015-16.

Globally, the target of reducing the poverty rate by half by 2015 seems likely to be achieved, despite the impacts of the global recession which are estimated to result in an additional 55 to 90 million people living in poverty, however, some regions will fall far short. Our neighbours in the Pacific region are struggling to meet their goals, with very few exceptions, the situation is worst in East Timor, PNG, and the Solomon Islands, which together account for 75% of the region’s population. On the other hand, Vanuatu looks set to halve its extreme poverty by 2015. 

Infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS continue to be a problem in the region, however actions to combat malaria in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu are paying off, with the incidence of malaria dropping significantly. A number of countries in the region have made progress towards improving education opportunities and outcomes over the past decade. Indonesia, Fiji, Niue, Tuvalu, Samoa and Tonga are on track to achieving universal primary education.

Australia is helping Indonesia to build 1500 public and 500 Islamic junior secondary schools, providing 330,000 children with an education that they otherwise would not have had. Of all new junior secondary schools built in Indonesia during 2007 and 2008, 39per cent were funded by the Australian aid program. 

The Prime Minister’s and Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Malaysia produced several key outcomes, highlighting the significance of the bilateral relationship. Key outcomes included agreement to enhanced co-operation on people smuggling, doubling the number of schools (from 12 to 24) in the Sister Schools Project, establishment of a coaching scholarship for a Malaysian sports coach, and agreement to develop MOUs on sports co-operation, higher education and film co-production.

Malaysia and Australia enjoy long-standing, substantive relations underpinned by co operation across a broad range of areas including strong defence, education, security and trade ties.

On 6-7 July Mr Smith made his first official visit to Malaysia to attend the inaugural Australia-Malaysia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.

Mr Smith and his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Anifah Aman discussed bilateral cooperation across areas of mutual interest, including defence, combating transnational crime such as people smuggling, counter-terrorism, and education. Ministers also discussed a range of regional and global issues.

Mr Smith’s visit coincided with the visit by Prime Minister Rudd on 6 July. Mr Rudd and Mr Smith met Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. The discussions addressed possible cooperation on combating people smuggling and on clean technology.

These meetings were the first opportunity for face-to-face meetings with Prime Minister Najib and Minister of Foreign Affairs Anifah since their appointment in April.

Key outcomes of the visits include: agreement to enhanced cooperation on people smuggling, doubling the number of participating schools, from 12 to 24, in the Sister Schools Project established last year, the announcement of an intention to sign an MOU on sports cooperation, and the establishment of a coaching scholarship for a Malaysian sports coach, the announcement of an intention to sign an MOU on higher education and the intention to sign an instrument on film co-production.

Animal welfare issues: Camel Culling

The Australian Government will be addressing the growing problem of feral camels in Australia through a camel culling project. This control project, taking place over the next four years, will mitigate the environmental, cultural and economic damage being caused by feral camels.

Feral camels are a growing problem in Australia, occurring in approximately 40 per cent (3.3 million km2) of the Australian mainland, an area larger than the whole of India. They live mostly in the drier parts of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

The feral camel population is currently estimated at over one million, it is doubling every nine years. Naturally, as the number of feral camels increases, so too will the amount of damage they cause. Camels are causing significant environmental damage by trampling and grazing the habitat of native Australian plants and animals that live in desert regions.

They are destroying Indigenous cultural sites; many of these sites in desert areas are located on rock platforms and walls close to water holes. Water holes attract large numbers of feral camels which damage artefacts and rock art by trampling and rolling on them.

From an economic perspective, the pastoral industry is suffering increasing losses as feral camels compete with stock for fodder and damage fencing and infrastructure in remote communities and pastoral leases as they travel across vast distances or attempt to access water sources. In recent years of drought, feral camels have entered remote Aboriginal settlements damaging air conditioning units and toilet blocks to get to the water held in them. Camels are also becoming a more frequent threat to public safety and present a danger on Australia’s outback roads.

If we do not act now to mitigate the damage being caused by feral camels, irreparable damage may be done. The longer we take to act, the more it will cost to manage and repair the negative impacts of feral camels.

About $19 million over the next four years has been allocated through the Caring for our Country program to fund the management of feral camels; this is the most significant commitment to tackle feral camels since they were introduced in the 1840s to provide transport in arid regions of Australia.
Camels can be a valuable resource but it is important to manage the feral camels to a scale where the threats and benefits are in balance. The camel control project is coordinated by the Desert Knowledge Centre, based in Alice Springs.

It will involve the Australian Government, the State and Territory governments, Indigenous organisations, natural resource management bodies, conservation groups, the pastoral industry, commercial interests, and research organisations. This control project will aim to lower the population density to less than one camel per ten square kilometres.

Control methods will involve humane shooting and trapping, and fencing to protect important areas. The cull will be conducted by licensed and experienced contractors in accordance with the relevant animal welfare code of practice.

The project is a good example of the partnership approach the Australian Government is taking to address some of Australia’s most pressing environmental problems.

For information on the Australian Government’s policy on pest animal control please refer to:

Australian Pest Animal Strategy: a national strategy for the management of vertebrate pest animals in Australia. 2007. Natural Resources Ministerial Council, Canberra.

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/pest-animal-strategy.html

News Stories - 2 July 2009

Outcomes of the 61st Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC61)

Australia welcomes commitment by the IWC towards a further period of intense diplomatic efforts and negotiation. Australia will engage very actively to reform the IWC in the expectation others will join us in genuine negotiations to resolve the divisive problem of unilateral special permit whaling.

The 61st annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC61) was held in Madeira, Portugal, on 22-25 June.

There was substantive movement at IWC61 in support of Australia’s core conservation initiatives, including:
 endorsement and broad international collaboration on the non-lethal Southern Ocean Research Partnership (SORP);
 adoption of Australia’s initiative to generate global action to recover endangered species of whale through conservation management plans; and
 formation of a new steering committee to provide strategic guidance to the Commission on best-practice management of, and support for, the development of whale watching.

These outcomes reflect the most significant developments of the last decade in relation to improving conservation outcomes for whales under the IWC. Their importance, therefore, should not be underestimated.

While significant progress was made in a number of areas, unilateral special permit (so-called ‘scientific) whaling continues to be a difficult and complex issue.

What is clear from this IWC meeting is that Australia has been joined by a growing number of countries who share our views that the problem of unilateral special permit whaling has to be urgently addressed.

Australia presented a discussion paper at the meeting aimed at finding a resolution to the dispute over unilateral special permit whaling by bringing all scientific research under the authority of the IWC.

Australia joined with the 85 other members of the IWC to support a further period of intense diplomatic efforts and negotiation
 including the establishment of a Support Group to help advance discussions in support of the Small Working Group.

Australia will engage in the continuing work of the Small Working Group on the Future of the IWC, and the associated Support Group, as long as there is constructive engagement and genuine commitment on all sides towards finding a way forward on unilateral special permit whaling.

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