Minister attending Australian International Trade Meeting

  • Tim Groser
Trade

Trade Minister Tim Groser will be the first New Zealand Minister to attend an Australian Ministerial Council of International Trade in Sydney this week.

New Zealand already participates on a number of Australian Ministerial Councils across areas such as food regulation, consumer affairs, primary industries and natural resource management.   Federal Ministers and representatives from all Australian States and territories attend the meetings.

"The close regulatory cooperation fostered by these forums is an important element in moving our two countries closer to the shared goal of a Single Economic Market", Mr Groser said.  

"Experience shows that the cooperation and consultation engendered by New Zealand participation is invaluable in improving trans‑Tasman coordination across many policy areas."

At last year's CER Ministerial Forum, the then Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean invited Mr Groser to participate as an observer in the next meeting of the Ministerial Council on International Trade, in view of the increasingly close engagement between Australia and New Zealand on trade-related activities.

Key items to be discussed at the Ministerial Council on June 30 include: developing a trade and investment promotion strategy for ASEAN; maximising trade and investment opportunities at Shanghai World Expo 2010; responding to challenges in the education sector; and encouraging the wool industry (in Australia) to implement alternatives to mulesing.

Following yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle in Australia, Mr Groser will be well-placed to make early contact with the new Australian Trade Minister, Stephen Smith.  He will also meet with the Parliamentary Secretary for Trade Anthony Byrne.