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Andrew Robb named Policy-Maker of the Year at Gold Standard Awards

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Andrew Robb. Minister for Trade and Investment, and the Australian Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade has been named as the 2015 Policy-Maker of the Year in recognition of the Australian government’s commitment to free trade in Asia Pacific. 

Nominated by KKR, the PAA judges recognised Robb for being leader in promoting free trade across Asia Pacific. The award was presented at The 2015 Gold Standard Awards held in Hong Kong on December 3 and was accepted on behalf of Robb by Paul Tighe, Australia’s High Commissioner to Hong Kong and Macau (pictured above LEFT).

Min Qin, the Vice President, External Affairs and Communications, Greater China at Fonterra and Chairman of The 2015 Gold Standard Awards, said: “In securing a series of bilateral trade deals across Asia, Australia has shown it is open for business. During these complex negotiations Andrew Robb and his colleagues at DFAT have shown diplomatic skill and a sophisticated sense of stakeholder engagement. At all stages DFAT has shown a commitment to transparent negotiation and engaged in regular dialogue with the Australian people, its international partners and the business community. Through this award Andrew Robb is rightly recognised for his ‘gold standard’ achievement in the policy-making arena.

The award forms part of The 2015 Gold Standard Award and was sponsored by Kreab.

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The award citation is below:

Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb has been a leader in promoting free trade across Asia Pacific. His leadership in successfully negotiating bilateral free trade agreements with China, Japan and Korea, as well as being one of the key leaders in the negotiations leading to the conclusion of the Trans Pacific Partnership (“TPP”) negotiations in October 2015, has demonstrated his determination, significant political and communications skills, and a strong commitment to engaging stakeholders for the betterment of trade, the economy and the quality of life for Australians.

Responding to the demand for transparency, DFST has held more than 1,000 public consultations on the TPP negotiations since May 2011. Input received through the consultation process have been used to inform the Government’s priorities and objectives for Australia’s ongoing work on the TPP.

Throughout the process, the government has been clear about the benefits of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. Australia’s FTAs — both with individual countries and groups of countries — provide improved Australian access to important markets, competitive positioning of Australian exports, greater prospects for increased bi-lateral investments, and reduced import costs for Australian businesses and consumers alike.

When a political controversy occurred over the impact of the China-Australia FTA (“ChAFTA”) on Australian jobs, the government mounted an effective point-by-point approach to tackle concerns that the measures would have a negative impact on Australian jobs. While opponents of ChAFTA spoke in strongly-worded terms on these prospects, Minister Robb and his team adopted an evidence-based approach and reinforced a commitment to a liberalised skilled labour market that did not jeopardise Australian employment prospects.

Robb also maintained open communications and an effective dialogue with the government’s political opponents, trade unions and the wider Australian political community throughout in order to seek effective support for the measures.

In parallel the government worked closely with the business community in order to highlight the benefits of free trade and focused its outreach programmes on addressing practical, operational implementation issues that business may face.

After reaching the China FTA, Robb underlined clearly the net benefits to Australian business. He noted that China- Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) will lock in existing trade and provide the “catalyst for future growth across a range of areas including goods, services and investment.”

Similarly through the Korea agreement (“KAFTA”), tariffs will be eliminated on 84 per cent of Korea’s imports (by value) from Australia immediately on 12 December, and upon full implementation of the Agreement, 99.8 per cent of Australian goods exports will enter Korea duty free.

On the Japan Free Trade agreement, known as the Japan-Australia Economic Partnerhsip Agreement (“JAEPA”), Minister Robb was equally positive about the impact it would have on future prospects for the country’s economy, with more than 97 per cent of Australia’s exports receiving preferential or duty free access when fully implemented. Independently, each agreement, and the upcoming implementation of the Trans Pacific Partnership, amounts to a significant step forward to Australian trade and enterprise. Taken together the package of agreements is a clear signal of the government’s determination to ensure that Australia is not hampered by its geographical position and instead is a fully open market, trading with the economic superpowers located in the Asia Pacific region.