Australian service suppliers and investors in sectors such as legal, financial and professional services, telecoms, education and environmental services will be the main beneficiaries of the FTA.

The U.S. proposal is a good start. We now need to push forward to achieve real progress in lowering barriers to agricultural trade,

We now know that Mark Latham would have threatened our national security and our future.

There’s still a lot of work to be done.

The US offer on domestic subsidies has thrown a challenge at the feet of the EU to come forward with a much more ambitious proposal on market access.

They need to understand they are threatening the future of global trade and cheating millions of the world’s poor out of new hope, … It’s not enough for them to provide aid and debt relief...

I’m not here to sign up a deal or identify tenders — just to ensure that Australian companies have access to the competitive tender process run by the Iraqi Grain Board in the future.

Our expectations are that that (EU tariff cut) figure needs to be well above 54 percent. It’s a positive move in the right direction but still not enough.

I’m not as optimistic as I was, but it’s not all over. The parties are still talking,

France and other EU members have taken the EU to the brink of collapsing the round,

We cannot continue to baulk at making commitments because we want someone else to move first. All areas of the negotiations need to move forward together.

As authority is transferred back to an Iraqi administration in mid-2004, the reconstruction of vital oil installations will provide jobs, skills and technology to the Iraq people.

The failure of the EU to make a meaningful offer on agricultural market access is deeply disappointing. Those EU member states who talk up their contribution to development are now blocking the most significant steps...

Certainly (arbitration) is the other avenue of pursuit open to us (but) I believe that through the current process we will achieve a satisfactory outcome,

We welcome this announcement, … The Australian government has announced a judicial inquiry on this matter and it is common sense to let that process run its course.

The pace of our export growth has already slowed significantly, and will slow further if global demand remains suppressed,

These convictions show Indonesia’s determination to prosecute those involved directly or indirectly in terrorism,

Our interest is in having the tariff and the quota removed as soon as possible. That’s what we continue to argue for,

The negotiations are really now on the edge of a cliff and it will take a concerted effort to get the round back on track,

In the December round of talks, there will be detailed negotiations on draft chapters of the agreement on services and investment and the first in-depth consideration of market access for goods. It will be our...

I don’t have an answer to that.

Any discussion of zonal tax rates immediately raises constitutional issues. The chances of changing section 99 of the Constitution by referendum on this issue are zero,

It is the European Union that is standing isolated, still standing against the agreement of this text, … It is not the Cairns Group, it is not Australia, it is not the United States, it...

The big difference in this organization now is Lamy. Lamy is uniquely suited to the task at hand.

In a competitive market any buyer wants to buy commodities at the best prices they can. Sellers of quality products want to get the best prices they can.

enormous opportunities to Australian companies interested in profiting in the world’s largest and most dynamic economy.

The EU are the ones putting the development round under threat, and developing countries will suffer most,

With only seven weeks left until the Hong Kong ministerial conference in December, we have just about run out of time, … If Hong Kong fails there is little chance of completing negotiations in 2006,...

This research demonstrates that during the decade in which APEC economies lowered trade and investment barriers, 195 million jobs were created and around 165 million people in the region have been lifted out of poverty,

The reconstruction contract will result in significant export income (for Australia) and a number of employment opportunities in Iraq and Australia,

There are many hundreds of millions of people across the world living in poverty-stricken countries who are looking to us to improve their opportunities by negotiating better market access.

I don’t believe the meeting should be postponed, even if the EU does not put forward a better proposal, … I believe that the EU and France would need to account for their actions before...

It’s all of those things together.

We wouldn’t necessarily say it’s a political gift,

I’ve seen the reports and, yes, our consular officials from Cairo are currently seeking to confirm those reports and to provide consular assistance to the Australian women, but there are not too many more details...

The Cole Inquiry is part heard. There is more evidence to come before it.

We must reaffirm and strengthen our political commitment to conclude this round.