• Australian exporters have greater opportunities to understand and meet US requirements dealing with technical regulations and standards.
• Requirements for food and manufactured goods, such as labelling, packaging, testing and certification that products conform to regulations, are covered.
• A framework for exporters to work with government in tackling barriers has been established.

Summary

The AUSFTA builds on existing rights and obligations under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.

A mechanism to address issues raised by either Party related to the development, adoption, application or enforcement of standards, technical regulations or conformity assessment procedures has been established.

Gains for Australia

In Australia, technical regulations for food and manufactured goods are co-ordinated between the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments. In the US, standard setting bodies are far more numerous and operate in governmental and private spheres and at federal and sub-federal levels.

A better understanding of respective technical regulations and standards should lead to reduced production costs for exports of food and manufactures. In turn, the savings can be passed on to consumers and allow for greater choice of products without diminishing their safety or reliability.