This Quick Guide provides a brief background to Australia’s preferential trade agreements (PTAs; often referred to as free trade agreements), in particular what they are, what they cover and commentary on whether they have been effective in increasing Australia’s wider economic welfare. What are Preferential Trade Agreements? A PTA is essentially a contract between two...

Summary Australia’s signature on 22 January 1954 brought into force the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. It is now time for Australia again to take the lead, by pressing for a review of the 1951 Convention and the international protection system of which it is a cornerstone. While the Convention itself...

This consultation paper explores what legislative reforms, and other changes, would be needed if New Zealand were to become a party to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. Overview Since 2005 New Zealand has been a party to an international treaty that aims to prevent harms from tobacco use, developed by the...

ASEAN's member states are a long way from achieving the ambitious goal of an 'ASEAN Community' and 2015 is likely to be a key milestone in the development of the project.

Overview: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has declared its intent to establish a fully integrated community by the end of 2015. The aim is to institutionalise a regional bloc built on three pillars: the ASEAN Economic Community the ASEAN Political-Security Community the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The main aim of these changes is to...