Five years after its controversial signing, the economic and relationship impact of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement will be the focus of a two-day symposium being held in Canberra in August.
The 2009 Fulbright Symposium on the Australia - United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA), organised by The University of Queensland, will bring together policy-makers, industry professionals and academics from Australia and the United States.
Organisers Dr Robert Burrell and Ms Kimberlee Weatherall from UQ’s TC Beirne School of Law said the symposium will assess the real impact of the agreement and raise debate over whether such an agreement has any economic or political relationship benefits.
“Symposium participants will be invited to compare the expected gains and feared downsides generated when the AUSFTA was signed with the actual gains and losses as a result of the agreement,” they said.
“This will then act as a foundation for discussion about the nature of the ongoing trade and political relationship between United States and Australia.”
The symposium will cover a broad range of policy areas in the agreement including intellectual property, agriculture, television and film content and funding rules, pharmaceutical and health policy.
The symposium will be held 24-25 August 2009 in Canberra.
Funding to host the Fulbright Symposium is awarded by the Australian-American Fulbright Commission to only one organisation each year to further the Commission’s mission of “promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and Australia through educational and cultural exchange.”
Media: For more information and interviews contact Dr Robert Burrell (telephone 07 3365 9123 or r.burrell@law.uq.edu.au). Media will be required to register to attend the symposium. For more information contact Teola Marsh (telephone 07 3365 2523 or t.marsh@law.uq.edu.au).