In our best interest: treaty scrutiny in a connected world

The Treaties Committee conducted a one day seminar on Friday, 18 March 2016 to mark 20 years of operation.

This seminar, In our best interest: treaty scrutiny in a connected world, examined the effectiveness of the 1996 reforms to the treaty making process in Australia from a variety of viewpoints: academic, government, political and social.

Participants on the day included:

• Dr Edwin Bikundo - Griffith University

• Professor Andrew Byrnes - University of NSW

• Adjunct Professor Anna George - Murdoch University

• Professor Penelope Mathew - Griffith University

• Professor Ben Saul - University of Sydney

• Professor Tim Stephens- University of Sydney

Videos of the sessions are available below.

Session 1

• The Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP – Chair, JSCT; The Hon Kelvin Thomson MP – Deputy Chair, JSCT; Ms Lynley Ducker – Committee Secretary; Ms Katrina Cooper, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Session 2

• Session Chair: Prof. Ben Saul
• Speakers: Prof. Penelope Mathew, The price of participation: dilemmas in treaty making;
  Prof. Andrew Byrnes, Time to put on the 3-D glasses: is there a need to expand JSCT’s mandate to cover instruments of “less than treaty status”?

Session 3

• Session Chair: Prof. Tim Stephens
• Speakers: Ms Anna George, The impact of bilateral agreements and changes to the ongoing management of trade obligations;
  Ms Patricia Holmes, The practice of consultation during trade agreement negotiations

Session 4

• Session Chair: Mr Richard Rowe
• Speakers: Mr Bill Campbell QC, Beyond scrutiny – new developments in customary international law and treaty interpretation;
  Dr Edwin Bikundo, Could be there more parliamentary oversight in the area of customary international law’s relationship with treaty law?

About the work of the Treaties committee

For twenty years the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties has been examining treaties on behalf of the Parliament, and making recommendations on how – or if – Australia should take binding treaty action. The Committee has inquired into 742 treaty actions and made 157 reports to Parliament.

In that time, treaties have become increasingly complex. Australians are more connected to the broader world through trade, education and migration. International agreements increasingly affect not only broad issues of state but the actions and responsibilities of individual citizens.

Worldwide, treaty scrutiny is reflecting this change by moving towards greater transparency and consultation.