The UK and Australia must build on a new trade deal to “stand up for liberty”, the International Trade Secretary is expected to say as she visits the Commonwealth country.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan is expected to promote the UK and Australia’s shared values in a speech to the Australian-British Chamber of Commerce during her visit on Friday.
Ms Trevelyan will be the first Cabinet minister to travel to the country since it elected a new government in May.
She will meet with her counterpart Don Farrell in Adelaide to promote the UK-Australia trade deal, estimated to be worth £2.3 billion to the UK economy by the Government.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the Nato summit in Madrid, Spain.
Stefan Rousseau
In a speech to Australian political and business leaders, Ms Trevelyan is expected to say: “Our friendship with Australia is more important than ever.
“Together, we show the world that we will stand up for liberty, that we fight back against tyranny, and we will defend our societies’ shared values.
“Our free trade agreement opens the doors to even greater collaboration and we welcome Australia’s ongoing commitment to a free, stable and open Indo-Pacific region, as we continue to work closely on the UK’s accession to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
Official estimates have previously suggested the trade deal will produce an increase of between 0.01% and 0.02% of gross domestic product (GDP) – a measure of the size of the economy – in the long run.
Ms Trevelyan is also expected to say the agreement will provide lower prices and more choice to British consumers.
However, a cross-party group of MPs, the Commons International Trade Committee, has previously questioned whether a reduction in prices will be noticeable.
Other critics fear the deal could undermine UK farmers, who may be unable to match the prices of Australian goods.
The UK is also applying to join an Indo-Pacific trade bloc, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), made up of 11 countries with a combined GDP of £9 trillion.