Australia to strike Brexit trade deal with Britain as 'new dawn' begins, Commissioner says
AUSTRALIA's High Commissioner George Brandis confirmed his country is ready to "engage" with Brexit Britain to revive trade links amid the "new dawn" facing the UK.
Brexit is time for a ‘new dawn’ for UK says George Brandis
The Australian representative in the UK signalled Canberra is "looking forward" to renew the historical commercial links between the UK and Australia now Brexit has become official. George Brandis insisted leaving the European Union marks "a new dawn" for the UK which will allow business and citizens to "rediscover" their optimism. Speaking to talkRADIO, Mr Brandis said: "Particularly with the re-election of the Johnson Government with such a parliamentary majority, and Brexit now done, this is the time for a new dawn and with a new dawn for the United Kingdom, is a time for optimism.
"It’s not time to be fearful, to cower, not to be in a mindset that thinks the world stops in the north Atlantic, it stops at the border of Europe.
"There’s a big, wide world out there for Britain to reengage with and we Australians look forward to engaging with you."
Australia's High Commissioner continued: "Rediscover what has been one of the great features of British history for centuries, and that is your optimism, your spirit of adventure.
"If there ever was a nation on the place of the planet whose modern prosperity was the subject of a global view of the world and a commitment to trading with the whole world, it is this country."
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Boris Johnson has drawn much inspiration from Australia in the past, confirming he wants to reform the British immigration system on the model of the point-based mechanism the country Down Under already had.
The Prime Minister also said he would like to mimic the current trade relationship Canberra has with Brussels. But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday pointed out there is no current trade agreement in place between the bloc and Australia.
Brussels and the Oceanic nation are currently trading on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, meaning a system of tariffs and quotas is in place on all imports and exports.
Ms von der Leyen suggested Mr Johnson's plan amounted to proposing discussions on the future trade relationship between the UK and EU end with no deal.
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Addressing MEPs in the European Parliament on Tuesday, the top Eurocrat said: "Honestly, I was a little bit surprised to hear the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom speak about the Australian model.
"Australia without any doubt is a strong and a like-minded partner but the European Union does not have a trade agreement with Australia. We are currently trading on WTO terms.
"And if this is the British choice, well, we are fine with that without any question. But, in fact, we just are in the moment where we are agreeing with Australia that we must end this situation and we work on a trade deal with them.”
A spokesman for the Prime Minister however rejected the suggestion an Australia-style deal would effectively result in a no deal scenario.
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The spokesman told The Independent the current arrangement between the EU and Australia is a "deal" because Canberra has 29 bilateral agreements with Brussels.
As trade talks with the EU approach, former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer suggested the Prime Minister has another deal sitting on his lap competing with any potential agreement with Brussels.
In a column for The Spectator, Mr Downer claimed that one of the most attractive agreements for Britain right now is the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
He explained: “The CPTPP is a high-quality free trade agreement which binds together Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Mexico, Malaysia, Peru, Chile and Brunei.
"The CPTPP is comprehensive and its application to the UK would be uncontroversial. Tariff and non-tariff barriers between the UK and the other 11 members would largely disappear.
"Investors would be protected from capricious policy changes by member governments which were in breach of the terms of the agreement. Environmental and labour standards would be maintained. And, yes: no one would attack the NHS."