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Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland

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Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland Parliament of Australia Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland 3 to 14 June 2018 Commonwealth of Australia 2018 ISBN 978-1-76010-764-2 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/. Members of the Delegation Leader of the Delegation Senator the Hon Scott Ryan President of the Senate Liberal Party of Australia Deputy Leader of the Delegation The Hon Michael Danby MP Member for Melbourne Ports (Victoria) Australian Labor Party Mr Steve Georganas MP Member for Hindmarsh (South Australia) Australian Labor Party Senator Pauline Hanson Senator for Queensland Pauline Hanson's One Nation Mr Tim Wilson MP Member for Goldstein (Victoria) Liberal Party of Australia Mr Jason Wood MP Member for La Trobe (Victoria) Liberal Party of Australia Officials: Mr David Sullivan Delegation Secretary Mr Duncan Pearse Adviser to the President Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland Introduction Approaches to healthcare administration Between 3 and 14 June 2018, it was my and funding; pleasure to lead an Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Policies and police programs to prevent Ireland. youth and gang violence; The full Delegation was as follows: Energy policy and renewable energy; and Delegation Leader, Senator the Hon Policies to address foreign interference Scott Ryan, President of the and the spread of misinformation and Senate 'fake news' via new and emerging social Deputy Leader, The Hon Michael media platforms. Danby MP, Member for Melbourne Ports Visit to the United Kingdom 3 to 8 June Mr Steve Georganas MP, Member for Hindmarsh Australia–United Kingdom Relations Senator Pauline Hanson, Senator for Historically, Australia has enjoyed a strong Queensland and dynamic relationship with the UK which is underpinned by a shared heritage, common Mr Tim Wilson MP, Member for values and substantial trade and investment Goldstein links. The UK is one of Australia's most like- minded and valued partners in the world. Mr Jason Wood MP, Member for La Trobe There continues to be high-level cooperation between Australia and the UK across a wide The Delegation was supported by Mr Duncan range of foreign policy, defence, security and Pearse (Adviser to the President) and Mr intelligence issues. Both countries also David Sullivan (Delegation Secretary). continue to benefit from strong people-to- people links. For example, the UK is Australia's A key objective of the Delegation's program fourth largest inbound market by arrivals and for the UK, France and Ireland was to third largest by tourism expenditure. The UK strengthen parliament-to-parliament ties and is also Australia's fourth largest short-term reinforce the historically important political, destination with 632,400 short-term resident economic and strategic bonds between our departures from Australia to the UK to the countries. year ending March 2018, which is an increase Other aims of the visit were to explore a of 5.9 per cent on the previous year. number of issues of common interest The strength of the bilateral relationship is including: reflected in the large number of high-level Trade and investment policy, especially bilateral visits across a broad range of policy the UK's future trade relationship with issues of common interest. As recently as the Australia after leaving the European month before the Delegation's visit, the Prime Union (EU); Minister and Foreign Minister visited the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Counter-terrorism and security policy Meeting, and also undertook a range of including the security of parliamentary bilateral meetings and engagements. precincts; Trade and investment links are important features of the Australia–UK relationship. The LGBTI policies and programs; UK is Australia's fifth largest two-way trading 1 Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland partner, worth $27 billion in 2016-17, and our official meeting on Monday 4 June, with the third largest services trading partner with High Commissioner, the Hon George Brandis Australian exports to the UK valued at $5.3 QC, and High Commission officials provided an billion and imports valued at $8.2 billion. overview of key Brexit issues and the Trade in services is dominated by tourism, timeframe for the UK's withdrawal from the professional, technical and other business EU. Key issues discussed included the option services. of a New Customs Partnership with the EU, the difficult issue surrounding the Irish border The UK is Australia's second-largest source of and tariffs, parameters of a future UK– total foreign investment, and also Australia's Australia free trade agreement, and the UK's second-largest destination for foreign direct response to the movement of people across investment. In terms of total trade, the UK is borders. Australia's fifth-largest two-way trading partner. The meeting set the scene for subsequent meetings which focused on Brexit and trade It is in this broad context that the Delegation's on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 June with Mr visit to the UK took place at a historically Angus MacNeil MP and various members of important time, not only for the future of the the International Trade Select Committee, of UK's engagement with the EU but also for which Mr MacNeil is Chair; Rt Hon Greg Hands opportunities that Brexit creates for Australia MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy (January to begin shaping a new trade and investment to June 2018); and Mr James Ashton-Bell, relationship with the UK. Head of Trade & Investment, Confederation of British Industry. Brexit, trade and energy The meeting with Mr MacNeil and the Following the June 2016 Brexit referendum, International Trade Select Committee which resulted in a vote to leave the EU by a provided an opportunity for delegates to margin of 51.9 to 48.1 per cent, the UK explore particular issues of interest around formally notified the EU of its intention to Brexit, ranging from the nature of leave the Union. This triggered a two-year geographical indicators, the effect on the negotiation period to determine the terms of agricultural sector and, in particular, the the UK's exit. While the UK is scheduled to intractable issue of the Irish border. The leave the EU by 29 March 2019, it is possible discussion served to reinforce the complexity for this period to be extended by the of the Brexit negotiations and the range of unanimous agreement of the EU's 27 member issues that have to be resolved both states and the UK. domestically and between the UK and its EU It came as no surprise to the Delegation that trading partners. discussions around Brexit and its wider The Delegation found the meeting with Rt implications were front and centre of the Hon Greg Hands of particular interest. As the Delegation's five-day UK program. The Minister of State for Trade Policy at the time, Delegation's visit coincided with an important Mr Hands was responsible for the Trade Policy House of Commons debate on Brexit which Group which leads the Department for was going to shape future UK-EU negotiations International Trade (DIT) in developing, over the UK government's preferred option coordinating and delivering a new trade policy for post-Brexit trade with the EU. framework for the UK as it leaves the EU. The Brexit and trade policy minister provided an overview of the work of the department, which was only established A number of the Delegation's meetings after the Brexit vote. In addition to its Brexit- focused specifically on Brexit and its likely related policy focus, the department is implications for the Australia–UK trade and responsible for all trade agreements and investment relationship. The Delegation's first arrangements with other countries and the 2 Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland UK's engagement with the World Trade The UK is currently dealing with a number of Organisation. complex and difficult energy-related issues. The introduction of a retail market cap and The meeting with Mr James Ashton-Bell, Head overall design of the market was a first-order of Trade & Investment, Confederation of issue. There are currently 60 suppliers in the British Industry, provided the Delegation with UK retail market and a bill currently before an insight into the UK's trade policy the UK Parliament is designed to provide a environment from the perspective of the UK's cap on retail tariffs. Other issues of concern peak business organisation. Mr Ashton-Bell include that the UK's nuclear power plants are described how the Confederation has been coming to the end of their life and need partnering with government for more than 50 replacing, and the cost of the ageing energy years across the spectrum of policy, from network has increased (but not to the same energy and education to skills and trade. The extent as in Australia) and needs to be rebuilt. discussion was wide-ranging, touching on However, on a positive note the number of issues including UK business interests in power cuts has been halved over the past 10 Australia (for example, financial and years. telecommunication services, advanced manufacturing and transport equipment), The Delegation was interested in what Mr reducing non-tariff barriers on the majority of Crouch and Mr Copley thought Australia Australian goods and services, and the role of should be doing in the energy space, given the skilled and unskilled migration in the political sensitivities around the recent spike formulation of free trade agreements. in Australian energy prices.
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