FTAs are vital to Australia's prosperity. They help to boost economic growth, deliver new opportunities to business, and provide consumers with a wider range of competitively priced goods and services.
Our FTAs provide strong coverage of Australia's goods exports, however, some FTAs were negotiated more than 20 years ago, and international trade and investment settings have changed significantly. Australian industry priorities and economic activity have also shifted, with sectors such as digital economy and services growing in prevalence.
Together with our partners we have revived and evolved some of our agreements, such as the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area, to reflect changes in international trade. However, there remains scope to modernise our FTAs in Southeast Asia.
Southeast Asia FTA Modernisation Review
Australia’s FTAs across Southeast Asia provide a critical foundation for investment, job creation and long-term economic growth. On 11 February 2025, the Australian Government announced the Southeast Asia FTA Modernisation Review, in response to recommendation 10 of Invested: Australia's Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
The Government released the report from Australia’s Southeast Asia FTA Modernisation Review in October 2026. The report outlines Australia’s trade and investment priorities for modernising our FTAs and presents 17 Government Actions for implementation. The Actions will ensure we have the tools available to capitalise on the vast opportunities that Southeast Asia’s fast-growing economies provide.
The Review process involved extensive consultations. The Department engaged with stakeholders across Australia in 2024 and continued this work during 2025. Further consultations were conducted in 2026 with stakeholders in Southeast Asia. The final report of the Review went to the Australian Government in July 2026.
The Department also called for submissions to inform the Review and received 37 written submissions from stakeholders. Submissions can be viewed at: Submissions to the Southeast Asia Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) Modernisation review.
The Australian Government also provided six grants to support Australian peak industry bodies, representative organisations and research institutions to conduct research and analysis to inform the Review. For information about projects supported under this grant program, please visit the GrantConnect website.
Which countries does Australia have FTAs with?
Australia has 19 FTAs, seven of which include Southeast Asian economies.
More about free trade agreements
- The benefits of FTAs
- How to get free trade agreement tariff cuts
- Look up FTA tariffs and services market access – DFAT FTA Portal
- DFAT's role in FTA negotiations
Further information
For further information on Australia’s Southeast Asia FTA modernisation agenda, contact: FTAModernisation@dfat.gov.au