The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will review a proposed Agreement with the European Union (EU) on tariff rate quotas for Australian exports.

Media release issue date: Monday, 1 November 2021

The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties will review a proposed Agreement with the European Union (EU) on tariff rate quotas for Australian exports. Committee Chair Mr Dave Sharma MP said ‘the proposed Agreement is an important step in settling exporting arrangements post Brexit and before the completion of Australia-EU free trade agreement negotiations.’ Tariff rate quotas set out the quantity of goods Australia can export to the EU under preferential tariff arrangements before higher tariffs are applied to those exports. The proposed Agreement covers red meat, sugar, cheese, and rice exports. ‘Before Brexit, Australia’s tariff rate quotas to the EU included the United Kingdom. Brexit meant that Australia had to negotiate a split of those quotas between the United Kingdom and the EU. Whilst the quantity of Australia’s tariff rate quotas has not significantly changed, the agreement draws a line under the Brexit process for Australia and provides a basis from which to negotiate the Australia-EU free trade agreement,’ Mr Sharma said. Public hearing details Date:        Monday 1 November 2021 Time:        11.00 am – 1.00 pm AEDT COVID-19 restrictions mean the hearing can be accessed online only. The program for this hearing is also available online. Further information on the inquiry can be found on the Committee website. Media inquiries Ms Jodie Mathews, Office of Mr Dave Sharma MP 02 9327 3988 For background information Committee Secretariat 02 6277 4002 jsct@aph.gov.au For more information about this Committee, you can visit its website. On the site, you can make a submission to an inquiry, read other submissions, and get details for upcoming public hearings. You can also track the Committee and receive email updates by clicking on the blue ‘Track Committee’ button in the bottom right hand corner of the page.