Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement
The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) entered into force on 1 January 2005. AUSFTA is a comprehensive agreement that covers goods, services, investment, financial services, government procurement, standards and technical regulations, telecommunications, competition-related matters, electronic commerce, intellectual property rights, labour and the environment. This site provides details of the contents of the Agreement and links to other relevant information.
The implementation of the Agreement is reviewed annually by a ministerial-level Joint Committee, entitled the Australia-United States Ministerial Trade Talks (AUSMINTT). These meetings are held pursuant to Article 21.1 of the Agreement.
- Fact sheets on key chapters and outcomes
- The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s latest statistical analysis and information on Australia’s trade with the United States
The AUSFTA sets out the rules for determining which goods are ‘originating’ and therefore eligible for preferential tariff treatment. Under AUSFTA, it is the importer who makes the claim for preferential treatment. Importers should be prepared to submit (on request) a statement setting out the reasons that the good qualifies as an originating good. For further information see the Australian Customs Service website.
The Australian and United States schedules specify the applicable rate of duty and the staging category for each tariff line. The staging category establishes the rate at which the relevant tariffs will be eliminated under the Agreement. The US and Australian schedules (guide only) can be found under Chapter 2 National Treatment and Market Access for Goods.
The current Tariff Working Pages can be found at the Australian Customs Service website or the US International Trade Commission Tariff Database
Austrade offers practical advice and assistance to Australian new and established exporters. For information call Austrade on 13 28 78.
Recent News
- August 2008: Working Group on Professional Services - Letter to Stakeholders
- June 2008: Working Group on Professional Services - Report to the Third Meeting of the AUSFTA Joint Committe
- 21 Dec 2007: Government Procurement Thresholds Indexed to take effect on 1 January 2008
Who to Contact
Requests for information, advice or comments on the free trade agreement should be addressed to:
US Trade Section
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R.G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221
telephone: +61 2 6261 3668
email: us_fta@dfat.gov.au
For media enquiries please call DFAT Media Liaison Section on (02) 6261 1555.
Please note that DFAT does not handle United States visa requests or related enquiries. For further information please visit the US Consular Services in Australia website.