India/Australia FTA

Trade with India: key issues

The India-Australia FTA (known as the Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement or AICECA) negotiations are now on hold, with the aim to resume in 2017.

Major issues:

ISDS and tariffs: Australia wants TPP model of ISDS, but India wants more limited version.: Also reluctant to move to zero tariffs.

Temporary migrant workers: India is seeking expansion of temporary workers with less labour market testing and other changes to student visas and computer-related service providers.

Call for bans on dangerous asbestos imports linked to trade agreements

August 5, 2016: The discovery of deadly asbestos from imported materials used in a new Perth hospital has sparked a debate about inspection of increased numbers of imports resulting from the China FTA, already in force, and the proposed Indian FTA.

But rather than cracking down on dangerous imports of asbestos products immigration Minister Peter Dutton has launched an extraordinary attack on the construction union,, blaming the union for "driving Australian companies to ‘cut corners’ by importing cheap Chinese materials that may contain deadly asbestos,” according to a report in The Australian.