著者

加賀爪 優

出版者

北海道農業経済学会

雑誌

北海道農業経済研究 (ISSN:09189742)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.14, no.2, pp.1-17, 2009-02-27

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Historically, Australia had been substantially supported by the British Commonwealth's preferential treaties. However, after the UK joined the EC, the Australian economy stagnated for a long period. This situation was remedied by import demand expansion due to Japan's rapid industrialization in the 1970s. After a long term recession, Australia has been enjoying an economic boom since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, recently even more so due to the booming import demand from China. Australia has shown an exceptional pattern against the law of Colin Clark, i.e. the service sector has expanded greatly without the maturing process of the manufacturing sector from the early stage dominance of the primary sector. Australian agricultural policy has been based on intervention for market stabilization but not support. Marketing boards have played substantial roles for these agricultural measures. As for agricultural free trade negotiations, Australia has shown strong leadership in promoting global liberalization under the GATT Uruguay round with the USA by forming the Cairns group. However, WTO negotiations have not been agreed upon since 1999, and instead, FTAs have sharply increased. Under these circumstances, Australia has gradually changed its stance towards regional liberalization by FTAs from global liberalization by the WTO. Among current FTA negotiations in Australia, an FTA with China is the most significant. Australia has been indecisive and left behind by the world movement on FTAs, GMO and Bio fuel projects. These situations are partially caused by unfriendly relations between the federal government and the state governments, and also friction among the state governments. As for future prospects, important factors are the possibility of renewal of the single desk function of AWB, impacts of the climate situation such as droughts and floods, and environmental resource issues such as soil erosion, salinity and water degradation, etc. Also, policy attitudes on FTA, Bio fuel project, GMO and APEC have substantial implications.