Trade agreement

“Trade facilitation is an important role of Customs officers; therefore, they play a central role in the successful implementation of PACER Plus,” Acting OCO Head of Secretariat, Irma Daphney Stone said.

“Under the PACER Plus Readiness Package, OCO in collaboration with the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at Charles Sturt University (CCES) have been training Customs officers on the Rules of Origin (RoO) of PACER Plus and we recently completed a refresher training in anticipation of the agreement coming into effect.”

The deal was finalised in Brisbane last Thursday, and may be formally signed on June in Tonga.

Dr Ranald said the two largest economies, Papua New Guinea and Fiji, have both refused to endorse the final text, saying it did not recognise their need to develop their infant industries. Without them, PACER-Plus has failed as a regional agreement.

“PNG and Fiji’s rejection shows that the agreement is heavily skewed towards the interests of Australia and New Zealand - despite early rhetoric that the agreement was about development needs,” said Dr Ranald.

RNZ reports the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER) Plus is a regional trade and economic agreement involving 16 Pacific countries which aims to create jobs, enhance private sector growth, raise standards of living, and boost economic growth in Forum Island Countries.

Talks began seven years ago in 2009 and negotiations on the legal text of the deal concluded last week in Christchurch, New Zealand.