In this section

• Concluded Free Trade Agreements
• Ongoing Free Trade negotiations

Contacts

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The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is the international organisation that deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Its main function is to ensure that trade flows as smoothly, predictably and freely as possible.

A new round of WTO negotiations was launched in Doha in November 2001. The negotiations cover a wide-range of issues, including agriculture and services. Telecommunications is one of many service areas that will be the subject of negotiations.

As part of the Doha Development Round, Australia has submitted a revised offer on services liberalisation, which includes telecommunications and computer and related services. Throughout the Round, Australia has been consistently working to promote telecommunications and computer and related services liberalisation and fair competition, including pursuing broader adoption of the WTO Reference Paper on Basic Telecommunications. Australia will continue to work towards greater global telecommunications liberalisation through the WTO.

DCITA is involved in representing portfolio interests including telecommunications, computer and related services, postal and courier services and audio-visual services in the services negotiations of the Doha Development Round.

The Australian telecommunications regime is considered to be open and competitive and Australia has indicated that it is prepared to consider legally committing (in WTO terminology, 'binding') itself to a liberalised regime consistent with current regulatory arrangements. No further domestic regulatory change is needed to achieve such an outcome.

For more information please refer to the DFAT website for more detail.

• Document ID: 71504 |
• Last modified: 5 February 2008, 7:55pm