Standards Australia has today welcomed the announcement by Minister for Trade, the Hon. Simon Birmingham, on the commencement of formal negotiations between Australia and the United Kingdom on a future Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

“The prospect of a Free Trade Agreement with the UK has been highly anticipated by many Australian industry sectors, and today we can see the road ahead,” said CEO of Standards Australia, Adrian O’Connell.

“Greater trade and integration of our two economies would potentially realise tremendous value for both countries, rebuilding a new dimension to our unique historical relationship. A collective push towards greater economic opportunity for industry in both nations will be strongly embraced,” added Mr O’Connell.

FTAs are underpinned and supported by harmonised standards that enable industries to compete in both markets. Typically this involves Australia and the UK adopting the same international standard, giving products and services a common set of technical specifications.

“Standards Australia has contributed to several FTAs previously, and we look forward to supporting this opportunity Australia has to be one of the first countries to enter into an FTA with the UK,” said Mr O’Connell.