Purpose of the report

This Report contains advice to Parliament on the review by the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties of five proposed treaty actions which were tabled in the Parliament on 7 December 2004¹ and three proposed treaty actions which were tabled on 8 February 2005, specifically:

7 December 2004²

• Agreement on Bilateral Cooperation between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand (Canberra, 5 July 2004)
• Termination of the Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the SlovakRepublic on Trade and Economic Cooperation (Canberra, 23 April 1999)
• Joint Agreement on Enhanced Cooperation between Australia and Papua New Guinea (Port Moresby, 30 June 2004)
• Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air (Montreal, 28 May 1999).
• 2004 Amendments to the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, 1946

8 February 2005

• Agreement on Social Security between the Government of Australia and the Government of Malta (Valletta, 16 June 2004)
• Beijing Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, done at Beijing in November 1999
• Amendments, agreed at Bangkok, in October 2004, to Appendices I and II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora of 3 March 1973

The Committee is continuing to review three proposed treaty actions which were also tabled on 7 December 2004, and has advised the Minister for Foreign Affairs accordingly. They are:

• Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of New Zealand Establishing Certain Exclusive Economic Zone Boundaries and Continental Shelf Boundaries ( Adelaide , 25 July 2004 )
• United Nations Convention against Corruption (New York, 31 October 2003)
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture(PGRFA)

Briefing documents

The advice in this Report refers to the National Interest Analyses (NIAs) prepared for these proposed treaty actions. Copies of the NIAs are available from the Committee’s website at <www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/7dec2004/tor.htm> and <www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/8february2005/tor.htm> or may be obtained from the Committee Secretariat. These documents were prepared by the Government agency (or agencies) responsible for the administration of Australia’s responsibilities under each treaty.

Copies of treaty actions and NIAs can also be obtained from the Australian Treaties Library maintained on the internet by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Australian Treaties Library is accessible through the Committee ’s website or directly at <www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/dfat>.

Conduct of the Committee’s review

Letters inviting comment were sent to all State Premiers and Chief Ministers and to individuals who have expressed an interest in being kept informed of proposed treaty actions such as these. A list of submissions and their authors is at Appendix A.

The Committee also took evidence at public hearings held on 7 and 14 March 2005. A list of witnesses who gave evidence at the public hearings is at Appendix B. Transcripts of evidence from the public hearings can be obtained from the Committee Secretariat or accessed through the Committee’s website at <www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jsct/7dec2004/hearings.htm>.