Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Advancing the interests of Australia and Australians internationally

Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement

Photo information

Bondi Beach on Australia's Pacific coast is considered one of the best beaches in the world.
Photo credit: Adam.J.W.C. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bondi_1.jpg
Australia New Zealand Peru Vietnam

TPP market snapshot (including Australia)

  • GDP: US$16,968 trillion (2010)
  • GDP per capita: US$33,546 (2010)
  • Population: 505.8 million (2010)
  • Trade with Australia: AU$117.737 billion (2010)

About the TPP negotiations

The government’s highest regional trade negotiation priority is the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). This agreement will build on the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (P4) between Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, which entered into force in 2006.

The TPP includes the P4 Parties as well as Australia, Peru, the USA, Vietnam and Malaysia.

The Australian Government will pursue a TPP outcome that eliminates or at least substantially reduces barriers to trade and investment. The TPP is more than a traditional trade agreement; it will also deal with behind-the-border impediments to trade and investment.

It is intended that the TPP be a living agreement that remains relevant to emerging issues and allows for membership expansion. While expanded membership of the TPP is desirable, those seeking membership would need to demonstrate commitment to early and comprehensive liberalisation so as to maintain the momentum that has been generated by existing TPP parties.

Australia's decision to participate in the TPP in 2008 followed an extensive public consultation process. Overall, there was widespread interest in and support for Australia's participation in the TPP. Input received through the consultation process is being used to inform the Government's priorities and objectives for Australia's ongoing work on the TPP.

Key interests and benefits

  • The TPP has the potential to form a building block for Asia-Pacific regional economic integration. It is in Australia’s interests to be involved in order to shape the direction of the initiative.
  • Regional rules of origin will provide new opportunities for Australian exporters to tap into global supply chains.
  • The TPP could provide additional market access for goods and services into the markets of existing FTA and future TPP partners.
  • Inclusion of Investment and Financial Services chapters in the TPP could provide improved opportunities for Australian financial services providers by mitigating barriers, such as foreign restrictions on capital and investment flows.
  • The TPP provides a framework for engaging with Peru, a country with which we do not have an existing bilateral trade arrangement. In particular there is potential for better access for dairy products and mining services to Peru.

Leaders of TPP member states and prospective member states.

Leaders of TPP member states and prospective member states on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Yokohama, Japan, 11 November 2010.

Photo credit: Gobierno de Chile

News

TPP public consultations

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade invites all interested stakeholders to attend public consultations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement negotiations.

  • Brisbane: Monday 6 February 2012, 9:30–11:00am, Primary Industries Building Conference Centre, Ground Floor, 80 Ann Street
  • Sydney: Tuesday 7 February 2012, 9:30–11:00am, DFAT NSW State Office, L10, Angel Place, 123 Pitt Street
  • Melbourne: Wednesday 8 February 2012, 2012 9:30–11:00am, DFAT VIC State Office, L14 Casselden Place, 2 Lonsdale Street
  • Perth: Thursday 9 February 2012, 9:30–11:00am, DFAT WA State Office, Level 17, Exchange Plaza, Sherwood Court
  • Canberra: Friday 10 February 2012, 2:00–3:30pm, DFAT, RG Casey Building, John McEwen Crescent, Barton

RSVP to tpp@dfat.gov.au

TPP negotiations in March 2012, Melbourne

Australia will host the next full TPP negotiating round from 1–9 March 2012 in Melbourne and planning is currently underway. Further information is available on this website.

Japan, Canada and Mexico

Japan, Canada and Mexico have formally expressed interest in joining the TPP negotiations. Australia and other TPP countries have welcomed this interest and will now begin by undertaking a bilateral process with these countries to discuss their readiness to join, and their capacity to maintain both the ambition and pace of the negotiations. This is the same process that each TPP country undertook when they sought to join the TPP, with final decisions taken by a consensus of all current TPP parties.

To assist in this process we would welcome further submissions and comments from stakeholders considering Japan, Canada and Mexico's possible involvement in the TPP. Submissions can be made by email to tpp@dfat.gov.au. Please note all submissions will be made publicly available on the DFAT website unless the author specifies otherwise.

Release of confidentiality letter

During the Chicago round in September 2011 TPP negotiators were asked to release the letters setting out an understanding among TPP countries on the handling of negotiating texts and other documents exchanged in the course of the negotiations.

Release of confidentiality letter

Round ten – December 2011, Kuala Lumpur

TPP negotiating parties conducted a mini-round in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 5 - 9 December. Only a small number of negotiating groups met during the week. The nine negotiating parties convened in Malaysia following a meeting of TPP Leaders in Honolulu in mid-November.

Update on the tenth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

TPP Leaders' meeting in Honolulu - November 2011

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Leaders, including Prime Minister Gillard, met in Honolulu on 12 November in the margins of the APEC Leaders' meeting to review progress in the negotiations and consider next steps.

TPP Leaders' meeting - progress review

Round nine – October 2011, Lima

The ninth round of TPP negotiations concluded on 28 October in Lima, Peru. The 10 day round had around 870 delegates in attendance, including negotiators, stakeholders and media.

Update on the ninth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round eight – September 2011, Chicago

The eighth round of TPP negotiations was held in Chicago, United States, from 6–15 September 2011. TPP Parties continued to work towards settling the broad outlines of an agreement by the APEC Leaders Meeting in Honolulu in November.

Update on the eighth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round seven – June 2011, Ho Chi Minh City

The seventh round of TPP negotiations was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 15–24 June 2011. TPP Parties (Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam) continued to make steady progress across all negotiating groups.

Update on the seventh round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round six – March/April 2011, Singapore

Australia and its TPP partners continued to make progress toward a high-quality, 21st century agreement at the sixth round of TPP negotiations held in Singapore from 24 March to 1 April 2011. Negotiators at this round focussed on narrowing the gaps in positions on the draft text and discussing initial market access offers.

Update on the sixth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round five – February 2011, Santiago

Chile hosted the fifth round of TPP negotiations in Santiago from 14–18 February 2011, with the nine TPP countries advancing further toward their goal of developing a high quality, comprehensive, 21st century regional trade agreement.

Update on the fifth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round four – December 2010, Auckland

The fourth round of TPP negotiations was held in Auckland from 6–10 December 2010, with the nine TPP Parties continuing to make steady progress across the full range of issues under discussion.

Update on the fourth round of Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiations

Round three – October 2010, Brunei

The third round of TPP negotiations was held in Brunei from 4–9 October 2010 with the participation of new member, Malaysia. TPP Parties reached consensus early in the week on Malaysia joining the negotiations, and Malaysia then participated in the Brunei negotiations for the remainder of the week. Malaysia is the first country to join the negotiations since the group launched negotiations in March 2010. TPP Parties remain committed to further expanding membership over time to countries across the Asia-Pacific that can meet the high-quality, ambitious objectives of the TPP.

Update on the third round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations – Malaysia joins

Round two – June 2010, San Francisco

The second round of TPP negotiations, held in San Francisco from 14–18 June 2010, resulted in significant progress on both the broad architecture of the agreement, and on a range of specific issues to be covered in the TPP.

Update on the second round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations – solid progress

Round one – March 2010, Melbourne

The first formal round of TPP negotiations was held in Melbourne on 15–19 March 2010, with the participation of over 200 officials from Australia, the US, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore, Brunei, Peru and Vietnam. It was a productive first round that got the negotiations off to a strong start.

Update on the first round of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations – a strong start

Melbourne 2012

The 11th round of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 1-9 March 2012. There will be a several events for registered stakeholders to take part in during the negotiating round.

On Sunday 4 March there will be a forum for stakeholders to present their views on issues relating to the TPP to both other stakeholders and negotiators.  On the evening of Tuesday 6 March stakeholders and negotiators will be invited to a reception, providing the opportunity to engage in a more informal setting. On Wednesday 7 March there will be a briefing for stakeholders by Chief Negotiators. Stakeholders will need to be registered in order to attend these events. Further details for these events will be provided to registered stakeholders in due course.

Stakeholder registration for the Melbourne TPP round is now open. If you would like to attend stakeholder events at the Melbourne round, please register at Stakeholder registration. Please note that registration will close on Friday 17 February. We ask that media register at Media registration and we will be in contact with you regarding media arrangements at the round.

If you are interested in presenting at the forum, please send a short expression of interest outlining the topic you are interested in speaking about to tpp@dfat.gov.au by Friday 10 February. We plan to work with stakeholders with an interest in speaking to develop the format the presentations could take (for example, a panel discussion) in order to foster a thorough discussion. We look forward to working with stakeholders in this process.

Submissions

Japan, Canada and Mexico

Japan, Canada and Mexico have formally expressed interest in joining the TPP negotiations. Australia and other TPP countries have welcomed this interest and will now begin by undertaking a bilateral process with these countries to discuss their readiness to join, and their capacity to maintain both the ambition and pace of the negotiations. This is the same process that each TPP country undertook when they sought to join the TPP, with final decisions taken by a consensus of all current TPP parties.

To assist in this process we would welcome further submissions and comments from stakeholders considering Japan, Canada and Mexico's possible involvement in the TPP. Submissions can be made by email to tpp@dfat.gov.au. Please note all submissions will be made publicly available on the DFAT website unless the author specifies otherwise.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade continues to welcome public submissions and comments on Australia's participation in TPP negotiations. Submissions may be emailed to tpp@dfat.gov.au or posted by mail to:

Trade Commitments Branch
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R.G. Casey Building
John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221

All submissions will be made publicly available on the DFAT website unless the author specifies otherwise.

Submission texts

Submissions have been received from a wide range of interested parties including industry, business, community and labour representatives and government agencies.

Organisations listed

Some organisations/entities have provided permission to be listed publicly as having made a submission to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Australia's participation in the TPP.

Where an organisation/entity has agreed to have their submission made available, a link to the text of their submission appears next to their name.

Copyright and content

Copyright in submissions resides with the author(s), not with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The views expressed in these submissions are the views of the author(s) and should not be understood as reflecting the views of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Format

Submissions were provided to the Department in a range of formats with varying quality, including Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF and scanned facsimile.

To maintain consistent quality, those documents approved for publication have been made available in PDF format wherever possible.

Submissions received

Submissions have been received with permission for publication from the following organisations and persons:

Note: If you cannot access these files, please contact us and we will arrange to send you an alternative format.

For business

Austrade has identified potential opportunities for Australian suppliers of goods and services in a number of sectors. Austrade's country page supplies general information on doing business and on specific export opportunities in:

Australia has existing trade agreements with:

Australia is also negotiating a bilateral trade agreement with Malaysia.

Resources

Country factsheets

Media releases and speeches

Contact us

  • Email: tpp@dfat.gov.au
  • Mail:
    Trade Commitments Branch
    Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
    R.G. Casey Building
    John McEwen Crescent
    Barton ACT 0221

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John McEwen Crescent
Barton ACT 0221 Australia

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