Related archived material

• World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

Collaboration by the Department with other agencies ensures that the Australian Government represents consistent positions in international forums. Other Australian agencies active in these areas include the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Austrade and AusAID.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

The Department leads Australia's involvement in the APEC Telecommunications and Information Working Group which provides an important mechanism among APEC member economies for exchanging information, consulting on policy and regulatory developments, and developing cooperative projects in the telecommunications sector.

Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)

The APT is a regional communications development cooperation organisation established by treaty, its membership includes most of the governments of Asia, Oceania and the Pacific Islands. In representing Australia in this forum, Australia aims to promote adoption by APT member governments of policies and regulatory approaches that enhance the development of open and competitive telecommunications markets and the spread of online services within those markets.

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 

The Department coordinates Australia's participation in the ITU; the specialised United Nations agency responsible for international cooperation in the use of telecommunications and the radiofrequency spectrum. Australian organisations—both Government and private—participate in many of the specialist ITU meeting, including study groups, which develop recommendations for international adoption and keep relevant treaties under review.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) activities

The OECD is the main forum for monitoring and evaluating economic trends and developments in its 30 member countries. Currently the Department is involved in four working parties of the OECD and we selectively participate based on the issues under discussion. A key focus of the current work is on the Future of the Internet and a Ministerial meeting will be held in June 2008 on that topic.

Bilateral Activities

Australia has significant bilateral relationships with various countries which are of strategic importance on communications and information economy issues. The Department has established mature relationships with a number of countries with whom there are frequent contacts and dialogues, sometimes by video conference. Australia also looks to building stronger relationships with other new countries and, in this case, may agree to a Memoranda of Understanding on ICT or information economy issues as an indicator of an intention to develop stronger bilateral links. Joint statements and memoranda of understanding set out the agreed areas of cooperation in relation to development of telecommunications and the information economy.

Free Trade Agreements

Australia has concluded Free Trade Agreements with Singapore, Thailand and the United States, and discussions are underway for a possible trade agreement with China, Japan, Malaysia, Chile, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and between Australia, New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries.

World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)

WSIS was a high-level United Nations forum that ran from 2001 to 2005 and examined a wide range of information and communications technology issues. Its objective was to set out a roadmap to build a global information society. WSIS aimed to be inclusive, multi-stakeholder, democratic and transparent in its operation. As a multi-stakeholder event, WSIS was open to governments, industry, Civil Society and inter-governmental organisations and non-governmental organisations. A range of WSIS implementation activities are now underway.

• Document ID: 3384 |
• Last modified: 6 February 2008, 12:14pm