The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) has recommended Australia ratify four significant international agreements that will strengthen cooperation with Fiji, expand opportunities for Australia’s space sector and enhance customs cooperation with Canada.
Committee Chair, Lisa Chesters MP, said: “These agreements will strengthen Australia’s international partnerships and deliver practical benefits across the Pacific, the space sector and border security.”
The Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union will strengthen cooperation between Australia and Fiji across prosperity, people-to-people links, climate, and security. The agreement also establishes bilateral consultation bodies to deepen and implement shared Australia-Fiji priorities.
The Ocean of Peace Alliance (Veitacini Treaty) strengthens defence cooperation between Australia and Fiji and provides for other Pacific countries to be invited to join. The agreement focuses on protecting Australian and Fijian sovereignty, mutual defence and security interests, and the stability and security of the Pacific region.
The Framework Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America on Cooperation in Aeronautics and the Exploration and Use of Airspace and Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes creates an overarching framework for United States-Australia space collaboration. The agreement will create new opportunities for the Australian space sector to partner with the United States on space programs and initiatives.
The Agreement between Australia and Canada on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters (CMAA Agreement) formalises processes for Australia-Canada cooperation on customs matters. It replaces and updates a prior Memorandum of Understanding governing the relationship between the Australian Border Force and the Canada Border Services Agency, elevating cooperation to treaty-level status. The updated treaty framework is designed to address increasingly sophisticated threats posed by international criminal groups.
The report also contains three technical treaty amendments:
- Amendments to Annex II to the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
- Amendments to Annexes A, B and C to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
- 2025 Amendments to Annex A of the Minamata Convention on Mercury
The report can be found on the Committee website, along with further information on the inquiries.
