- Negotiations
Negotiations on this free trade agreement between the 10 ASEAN governments and those of Australia and New Zealand were concluded in Singapore in August 2008. The agreement was subsequently signed in February 2009 and came into force on 1 January 2010.
The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) envisions a regional common market by 2015, and marks the first time that Australia and New Zealand have been involved jointly in negotiating an FTA with third countries. It was also the first time ASEAN embarked on comprehensive FTA negotiations covering all sectors, including goods, services, investment and intellectual property, simultaneously.
The Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia opposed the deal because of the impact of further trade liberalization on these manufacturing sectors and workers in Australia, and human rights concerns regarding Burma. Both the Green Party of New Zealand and human rights activists raised concerns about agreements with some ASEAN governments because of their human rights records. In the ASEAN countries, numerous activist groups also protested the rush into this FTA, especially during a global economic crisis that is hitting local workers hard.
last update: May 2012
Photo: Daveandlolo/CC BY 2.0
16-Mar-2009
Jakarta Post
Indonesia is preparing massive financial and technical support for meat and tropical fruit businesses in a bid to cash in on ASEAN’s free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand.
13-Mar-2009
S&L
The new ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement falls well short of what could be considered a good deal for Australian industry, according to the Shadow Minister for Trade, Warren Truss.
6-Mar-2009
Global Trade Watch
What right does the Australian government have to impose a free trade agreement on the peoples of ASEAN, without any sort of systems in place to represent their views or interests (rather than the views or interests of their rulers) in negotiations? And how many Australians want a free trade agreement with vicious, murderous regimes like Burma’s military junta anyway?
2-Mar-2009
TVNZ
A new 12-member free trade agreement between New Zealand, Australia and the 10 ASEAN countries has not got everybody’s stamp of approval. The agreement has been welcomed by groups such as Federated Farmers of New Zealand. However, Auckland University law professor Jane Kelsey says negative aspects of the agreement are being ignored.
1-Mar-2009
Al Jazeera
Australia and New Zealand have signed a free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) — one of Asia’s largest trade arrangements.
27-Feb-2009
IHT
Southeast Asian economic ministers signed two pacts on trade and investment Thursday and plan to ink a free trade pact with Australia and New Zealand at an annual summit, where they have vowed to resist protectionism amid the global economic slump.
26-Feb-2009
Reuters
Indonesia has agreed to cut import tariffs on range of products from Australia and New Zealand starting this year as part of a wider free-trade agreement with Southeast Asian nations
17-Feb-2009
Trade Minister Tim Groser departs today for India and Thailand where he will sign the trade deal with the Asean group of nations.
13-Feb-2009
Tempo
The government of Indonesia stated that it will go ahead and sign the ASEAN free trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand on February 27.
12-Feb-2009
The New Zealand government has called on member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to sign the free-trade agreement (FTA)
with them and Australia to prepare the East Asian region for the worse impact of the global financial crunch.
